IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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PhotDgi'aphic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STKfT 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  M5M 

(/16)  S72-4S03 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


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Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notas  tochniquea  at  bibliographiquas 


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to 


Tha  Instituta  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  bast 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturas  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 


y 


n 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagia 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restauria  et/ou  pellicuiAe 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gAogrsphiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleua  ou  noire) 

Coloured  pletes  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  eVou  illustrations  an  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Rail*  avac  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  msy  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliura  serrie  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leeves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  sa  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutAes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissant  dans  le  texte. 
mais,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  ttt  filmies. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentairas  supplimentairas: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  AtA  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliogrephique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mAthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 

□   Coloured  peges/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

□    Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^as 

r~1    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


0 


Pages  restauries  at/ou  pelliculAes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d6colorA<  d.  tachaties  ou  piquAas 


r~~|    Pages  detached/ 


0 


Pages  dAtach6es 

Showthroughy 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualiti  inAgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  matorii 
Comprend  du  material  suppl^mantaire 

Only  edition  availeble/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


I      I  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  availeble/ 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure. 
etc.,  ont  M  filmAes  A  nouveau  de  fa^on  i 
obtenir  la  meilleure  imege  possible. 


Th 
po 
of 
fill 


Or 
be 
th( 
sic 
oti 
fin 
sic 
or 


Th 
sh 
Til 
wl 

M< 
dif 
en< 
bei 

"9 
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This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  da  reduction  indiqu*  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


1 


20X 


26X 


30X 


12X 


16X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


Tho  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Simon  Fraier  University 
Library 


L'exemplaire  fiimd  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
g6n4rosit6  de: 

Simon  Frater  University 
Library 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  itd  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  I'exemplafre  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim6e  sont  film6s  en  commen9ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenqant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinti/. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustr&te  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmis  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichi,  il  est  film<§  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup^rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mithode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

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rUNIVERSlTY 


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SIMON  FRASER  UNIVERSITY 
LIBRARY 


13642-PC. 

SIMON   FRASER   UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 


DATE  DUE 


DATE  DUE 


lyn    »H.  1  8^ 


m^^ 


eirn  /^U69    7 

Z     ' 

-'^t     OCT  1  3  1381 

f^  9o^  S^t{3  //^ 


IV  ra 


SIMON  FRASER  UNIVERSITY 
LIBRARY 


PROFESSOR  HEILPRIN'S  NEW  BOOK. 

ALASKA 
AND  THE  KLONDIKE. 

A  Journey  to  the  New  Eldorado.  With  Hints  to  the 
T-aveler  and  Observations  on  the  Physical  History 
and  Geology  of  the  Gold  Regions,  the  Condition  of 
and  Methods  of  working  the  Klondike  Placers,  and 
the  Laws  governing  and  regulating  Mining  in  the 
Northwest  Territory  of  Canada.  By  Angelo  Heil- 
PRiN,  Professor  of  Geology  at  the  Academy  of  Nat- 
ural Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  Fellow  of  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society  of  London,  Past- President  of 
the  Geographical  Society  of  Philadelphia,  etc.  Fully 
illustrated  from  Photographs  and  with  a  new  Map 
of  the  Gold  Regions.     lamo.     Cloth,  $i. 7s. 

It  may  fairly  br  said  that  Professor  Hcilprin's  interesting  and  .luthoritative  hook 
presents  for  the  first  time  an  accurate  general  account  of  th ,  region  which  has  lo 
recently  become  famous.  Much  has  been  written  about  the  Klondike,  but  a  large 
proportion  uf  this  material  contains  so  many  exaggerations  that  a  proper  perspective  ii 
impossible.  It  was  for  the  purpose  of  discriminating  between  fact  and  fancy  by  meant 
of  a  personal  knowledge  of  the  region  and  its  varied  conditions  that  Professor  Heilprin, 
an  experienced  traveler  and  the  leader  of  the  Peary  Relief  Expedition  of  1891,  made 
his  journey  through  the  region.  He  now  presents  the  results  of  his  observations  in 
a  series  of  graphic  chapters  which  describe  the  features  of  the  journey,  the  character 
of  the  country,  and  the  life  of  the  mining  camps.  To  those  specially  interested  in  the 
practical  possibilities  of  the  region,  the  book  will  make  a  special  appeal.  Students  will 
find  it  the  first  adequate  presentation  of  the  Klondike  gold  problem  made  by  a  geologist, 
and  it  will  prove  invaluable  to  prospectors  and  others  practically  interested,  since  it  fur- 
nishes assistance  not  to  be  found  in  any  other  publication. 


Tkit  book  it  for  sal*  by  all  booksellers  ;  or  it  will  be  sent  by  mail  om  receipt  0/ price,  by 
tki  publiskers, 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY, 

7a   Fifth  Avs^nue,  New  York. 


(P 


(OOK. 


APPLET0N8' 


KE. 

to  the 
iistory 
lion  of 
s,  and 
in  the 

Heil- 
r  Nat- 
Royal 
ent  of 

Fully 
/  Map 


loritative  book 
which  has  so 
e,  but  a   large 

perspective  is 
ancy  by  means 
tssor  Heilprin, 
>f  1892,  made 
ibservations  in 
,  the  character 
iterested  in  the 

Students  will 
by  a  geologist, 
,  since  it  fur- 


r>/  o/pritt,  fy 

York. 


GUIDE-BOOK   TO   ALASKA 


AND 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST 


INCLUDINO 

THE  SHORES  OF  WASHINGTON,  BltlTISII  COLUMBIA, 

80UTHKASTEHN  ALASKA,  THE  ALEl'TIAN  AM) 

TUE  SEAL  ISLANDS,  THE  BERINO  AND  THE  ARCTIC  COASTS, 

THE  YUKON  RIVEU  AND  KLONDIKE  DISTRICT 


BT 

ELIZA  RUHAMAH  SCIDMORE 

AUTIIon  OF 

'ALARKA:   its  SOUTHKRN  coast   and  the  SITKAN  ARCniPBLAOO,' 

"  JUIBIEUUA  DATB  IN  JAPAN,"    "  WE8TWAKI)  TO  THE  FAR  EA8T," 

AND  "JAVA,  TIIK  GARDEN  OF  TUE  EAST" 


WITH  MAPS  AND  MANY  ILLUSTitATIONS 


NEW  EDITION 
WITH  A  CHAPTER  ON  THE  KLONDIKE 


NEW    YORK 

D.   APPLETON  AND   COMPANY 

1899 


CoPTBiOBT,  l^Ofl.  1890,  1896,  1800, 

bt  d.  appleton  and  company. 


• 


CONTENTS. 


PAOI 

Introduction 1 

THB  PUGET  SOUND  COUNTRY. 

The  Paciflc  ForMt  Keserve  and  Mt.  Itainicr 6 

The  International  Houndary  Line 19 

Vancouvir  Island 14 

Tides ■ 16 

Thk  Inland  Ska 17 

From  Victoria  to  (|ueen  Charlotte  Sound      .       .       .       .       .       .17 

The  Vicinity  of  Nanaimo 18 

The  Upper  End  of  the  Oiilf  of  Georgia 19 

Seymour  Narrows  or  Yaculta  Rapids— The  Great  Malstrom  SI 

The  Head  of  Vancouver  Inland 29 

From  (^uikn  Charlotte  to  Milbank  Socnd 98 

Nal(wakto  Rapids 94 

The  Coast  of  British  Columbia 96 

From  Milbank  Sound  to  Dixon  Entrancb 97 

Gardner  Canal  or  Inlet 98 

The  Skeena  River 29 

The  Tsimsian  Peninsula 81 

Nass  River,  Observatory  Inlet,  and  Portland  Canal      ....  88 

Thb  Q0KXN  Charlotte  Islands 84 

llieUaidas 87 

ALASKA. 

Climate  op  Southeastern  Alaska 40 

The  Native  Race  of  Southeastern  Alaska— The  Tlinoits             .  43 

Tllnglt  Customs 4S 

The  International  Boundary  Line 48 

The  Southern  Islands fil 

Mary  Island  Customs  District 69 

New  MetlakahUa 68 

Metlakahtla 64 

The  Na-t.  Country 86 

The  Paciflc  Salmon 66 

Salmon  Canneries 67 


It 


CONTENTS. 


rAoi 

Tni  RiTn.i.AainRDo  Lakss  and  Bibii  Cahal M 

PniNci  or  Walib  latAiiD 00 

FnitT  Wranhill 00 

Tub  Htikini  Rivib 08 

Itinerary  of  the  Stikinc  River TO 

MinliiK  Region"  of  the  Htllclne TS 

1  itomatlonal  Boundary  Line  on  the  Stiklne 78 

Proii  Sumnbr  Htiiait  to  I'rincb  Prbobrick  Soi7ND  via  Wranoiix 

Nahrowh 78 

Along  I'rince  Frederick  Soand 74 

T»'e  Thunder  Hay  (llBcler 76 

GlaclalTheory  of  theNatlven '•^ 

Kupreanoff  and  Kulu  iHJandi),  the  Land  of  Kakca        ....  77 

From  Capb  Fanhhawb  to  Takit  Inlbt,  Shucks  and  Sum  Du\i  ^  tb  .  78 

Taku  Inlet  and  the  Taku  Olaclem 80 

The  llarrlH  Mining  DUtrlct— Juneau  and  Ita  Vicinity  ....  89 

The  Silver  Bow  BaHin  Mine* 88 

The  Largest  Quartz-Mill  In  the  World 80 

Admiraltt  Inland 87 

Fisheries  of  the  Region 88 

Alonu  Chatuax  Strait  and  Ltnn  Canal 90 

Tub  Cbilrat  Coitnthy  and  the  Pasrbs  to  tub  Yukon      .       .       .  9R 

The  Great  Tribe  of  the  Tlingit  Nation 88 

To  the  Yukon  River  and  Mining  Campa 06 

Glacibr  Bat 97 

Discovery  and  Exploration  of  Glacli-r  Bay 97 

Indian  Traditions 90 

Scientists' Camps       ......       S 9B 

Itinerary  of  the  Bay  and  Inlet 100 

Muir  Inlet  and  the  Great  Mulr  Glacier 100 

The  Lateral  Moraines 108 

The  lute  of  Recession 104 

The  Ascent  of  Mt.  Wright  to  the  Ranging  Gardens  and  Mountain- 
Goat  Pastures 106 

On  thv.  Mainland  Shore  of  Cross  Sound 100 

The  ChicagofT  Island  Shores 106 

From  Chatham  Strait  to  thb  Ocban  bt  Pbril  or  Pooibbhi  Straits,  106 

Baranof  Island  and  the  Russian  Settlements 110 

The  Purchase  of  Russian  America 118 

The  Transfer  of  Russian  America  to  the  United  States        .       .       .118 

An  Abandoned  Territory 114 

Sitka,  tub  Capital  op  thb  Tbrritort  op  Alaska 116 

Russian  Orthodox  Church  of  St.  Michael 117 

The  Indian  River  Park 110 

The  Indian  Village 120 

The  SitkauB  and  their  RecordB 190 

The  Ascent  of  Veratovoi 189 


00NTBNT9. 


Bzcnnloni  In  the  Bay  and  Vicinity  of  HItka Ml 

The  Aarent  of  Mt.  KilKt-ciimbo !•♦ 

flilver  Bay  and  the  HItka  Mining  District      ......  IJM 

TllE  BARANOr  HllORK  lOUTII  or  HiTKA W 

The  White  Hiilphur  Hot  Hprlnga tii 

••To    WB»TWAni»"     Pll"  •     "ITKA    TO    UNAI.AHKA,     AI-ONO     Till    COWTI- 

NkNTAL  SlIOBB "8 

Prom  HItka  to  YakiiUt IW 

Mt.  Ht.  Eliaa IV 

TontincnUl  AU  V»    ,       .               18* 

Prince  Winia  ..  Sound  ami  Ita  t. '.-at  (llaclcm 184 

t^ook'H  Inlet  and  thu  Ki->  al  I'uiuiHiila 185 

Tides IW 

Kadlak  ant*  the  Onm  Palinon  Cannerli-a 187 

The  (ireateat  Hulmoii  Hirtam  in  the  World 188 

Tho  Shuniauii'  IhIbikIh  and  the  Cod  P'i»herlea 188 

The  AliaMka  IVnInmila 140 

Thi  Alkiitian  Ihi.andu 141 

ExcurHlona  from  Unalanka 148 

The  Bkbino  8ba  and  Hiiokkm 144 

The  Prlhylov  or  Seal  Ulanda 148 

The  Heal  Inland  LeaHeb 148 

CallorhinuH  UrHlniw.  the  Fur  Seal 147 

The  licrintt  Sea  yucation 148 

Other  iHlanda  In  Bering  8ea 188 

Bering  Strait *80 

In  THE  Arctic  Ocean .181 

The  Yukon  Mininq  KEoioNa 188 

The  Stikine  Uoutc IW 

The  Taku  Uoute IW 

The  Skagway  Koute 188 

The  Dyea  Route 188 

The  Chilkat  Koute,  Dalton  and  Bound  Trails       .....  180 

The  Copper  River  Trail 188 

Cook'B  Inlet  Route 188 

St.  Michael's  Route  .       .       , 1<>8 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


TACIRO  PAOX 

BoADWAT  IN  Stani-et  Pabk,  Vancocvkb 14 

Indians,  keab  Nkw  Wbstminstbr 17 

Thb  Goroe  of  the  Homathco              !• 

Johnstone  Strait ® 

A  Haida  Totem-Pole .  8f7 

Tlinoit  Woman ** 

Hutu,  or  Thunder  Glacier 75 

(From  a  photograph  by  Lient.  A.  P.  Nlblack,  U.  8.  N.) 

JUHEAD ® 

The  Treadwbll  Mine,  Douglass  Island 86 

Front  op  Mure  Glacier  and  Mt.  Case,  prom  West  Moraine    .       .  101 

(From  a  photograph  by  F.  Jay  Haynes.) 

Salmon-Berry  Market,  Sitka 118 

The  Old  Fur  Warehouse,  Greek  Church,  and  Peak  op  Mt.  Vebs- 

TOVOI,  HiTKA 121 

CusTOM-BousE,  Castle,  and  Barracks,  Sitka 19* 

Mt.  St.  Eliab,  prom  End  op  Samovar  Hills           HO 

(From  a  photograph  by  Prof.  Israel  C.  Russell.) 

Mt.  Shishaldin  Mi 

(From  a  photograph  by  Lieut.  A.  L.  Broadbent,  U.  8.  R.  M.) 

Cut  on  Claim  18,  Eldorado  Creek 1<S 

MAPS. 

Glaciers  op  Mt.  Rainier • 

General  Map  op  Alaska ^ 

The  International  Boundabt  Line M 

Chilkat  and  Chilkoot  Bats 02 

Glacier  Bat ^ 

The  Coast  prom  Sandy  Bay  to  Cape  Edward 128 

Mt.  St.  Eliab  Region !• 

Chiep  Routes  op  Alaskan  Explorers 184 

Klondike  Gold  Region 100 

The  Route  op  the  Alaska  Excursion  Steamers    .       .       .        In  Pocket 

AI.ABKA  and  KlONDUKX  RKOION 


TABLE  OF  DISTANCES. 


NAUTICAL  MILm. 

San  Francisco  to  Victoria,  B.  C 760 

San  Francisco  to  Tacoma 850 

San  Francisco  to  Sitlta  (outside  passage),  1,614  statute  miles,  or  1,298 

San  Francisco  to  Kadiak 1,760 

San  Francisco  to  Unalaska  direct 2,418  statute  miles,  or  2,068 

Tacoma  to  Seattle 28 

Seattle  to  Port  T  .wnsend 38^ 

Port  Townsend  lu  Victoria 81 

Victoria  to  Active  Pass 38 

Victoria  to  Nanaimo 78 

Victoria  to  Seymour  Narrows 160 

Victoria  to  Tongass  Narrows  (K  .chikan) 660 

Tongass  Narrows  to  Port  Clicster 16 

Tongaos  Narrows  to  Loring 24 

Loring  to  Yess  Bay 22 

Loring  to  Fort  Wrangell 88 

Fort  Wrangell  to  Glenora,  on  Stikine  River 160 

Fort  Wrangell  to  Juneau 146 

Fort  Wrangell  to  Sitka 825 

Juneau  t3  Douglass  Island  (Treadwell  Wharf) 2^ 

Juneau  t)  Bemer's  Bay 46 

Juneau  t<i  Chilkat 89 

Juneau  to  Muir  Glacier 160 

Juneau  to  Killisnoo 104 

Juneau  to  Sitka 176 

Chilkat  to  Bartlett's  Bay 98 

Bartlett's  Bay  to  Muir  Glacier 80 

Bartlett's  Bay  to  end  of  Glacier  Bay 60 

Muir  Glacier  to  Tacoma 1,218 

Muir  Glacier  to  Sitka 160 

Killisnoo  to  Sitka 72 

Sitka  to  Silver  Bay 12 

Sitka  to  Hot  Sulphur  Springs 16 

Sitka  to  Mt.  Edgecumbe 13 

Sitka  to  Chilkat 180 

Sitka  to  Yakutat 200 

Sitka  to  Kadiak 660 

Sitka  to  Unalaska  (1,283  stotute  miles) 1,100 

Sitka  to  Tacoma 1,878 

Unalaska  to  St.  Paul,  Pribylov  Islands 200 

St  Paul  to  Sitka 1,600 

St.  Paul  to  San  Francisco 2,300 


^ 


I 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  Northwest  Coast  is  the  general  term  applied  by  laet  cen- 
tury explorers  and  diplomats  to  all  that  part  of  the  continent  of  North 
America  lying  l)etween  the  Columbia  River  and  Yakutat  Bay,  or  between 
its  landmarks,  Mts.  Rainier  and  St.  Elias.  The  State  of  Washington, 
the  province  of  British  Columbia,  and  the  southeastern  or  Sitkan  dis- 
trict of  Alaska  occupy  each  a  third  of  this  coast.  The  bulk  of  the  Ter- 
ritory of  Alaska  i.;s  beyond  Mt.  St.  Elias.  Itf  coast  offers  little  of 
interest  or  attraction  beyond  the  Alia&ka  Peninsula,  und  the  interior  is 
sparsely  inhabited. 

Southeastern  Alaska  is  the  only  portion  of  the  vast  Territory 
now  accessible  to  tourists  and  pleasure  travellers,  and  the  Alaska  mail 
and  excursion  steamer  routes  include  a  tour  through  the  archipelago 
fringing  tlic  Northwest  Coast  and  sheltering  an  inside  passage  over  a 
thousand  miles  in  length. 

The  Coast  Range  presents  a  bold  front  to  the  o.ean  from  the  Colum- 
bia river  northward,  and  the  Columbian  and  Alexander  Archipelagoes  are 
half-submerged  peaks  and  ranges — the  veritable  "  Sea  of  Mountains." 
Glaciers  gem  all  these  Cordilleran  slopes,  and  the  tide-water  glaciers  at 
the  head  of  Alaskcn  inlets  are  paralleled  only  in  the  strait  of  Magellan, 
in  Iceland,  Greenland,  and  polar  regions.  The  scenery  is  sublime  be- 
yond description,  and  there  is  almost  a  monotony  of  such  magnificence 
n  the  cruise  along  the  Northwest  Coast.  The  mountains  are  covered 
with  the  densest  forests,  ail  undisturbed  game  preserves,  the  waters 
teem  with  hundreds  of  varieties  of  fish,  and  the  northern  moors  are  the 
homes  of  great  flocks  of  aquatic  birds.  The  native  people  are  the  most 
interesting  study  of  ethnologists,  and  totemism  in  a  living  and  advanced 
stage  may  be  studied  on  the  spot.  Settlements  are  few  and  far  be- 
tween, mining  and  fish-packing  the  chief  industries. 

The  climate  of  the  Northwest  Coast  is  far  milder  than  that  of  the 
Northeast  Coast  of  the  continent.  The  Knro  Siwo,  the  Japan  or 
Gulf  Stream  of  the  Pacific,  flowing  northward  from  the  Southern  Ocean, 
follows  the  line  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  makes  a  great  toop  in  tht 


2 


INTRODUOnON. 


Gulf  of  Alaska,  and  flows  southward  along  the  coast.  It  greatly  modi- 
fies the  climate,  bends  the  isothermal  lines  northward,  and  makes  cli- 
mate and  temperature  depend  upon  distance  from  the  warm  Kuro  Siwo 
rather  than  on  distance  from  the  equator.  The  high  mountain  ranges 
condense  the  soft,  warm  vapours  accompanying  the  Japan  Stream,  and 
the  annual  precipitation  is  greater  than  on  any  other  part  of  the  conti- 
nent. The  rainfall  averages  from  80  to  140  in.  along  the  coast,  but  the 
least  mountain  barrier,  as  with  the  Olympics  on  the  Washin  ton  coast, 
reduces  the  precipitation  to  one  half  on  the  lee  side. 

Steamship  lines  conveying  United  States  and  Royal  mails  give  fre- 
quent communication  throughout  the  year  with  all  the  Northwest 
Coast  and  are  availed  of  by  pleasure  travellers.  They  offer  unknown 
delights  of  ocean  travel,  and  from  deck  chairs  tourists  view  near  at 
hand  the  tide-water  glaciers  and  the  highest  mountains  of  the  conti- 
nent, pursMing  the  placid  channels  of  water-floored  cafions  for  a  fort- 
night with  scarce  a  ripple  encountered.  As  a  yachting  region  it  offers 
more  than  the  Hebrides  or  the  Norwegian  coast. 

RAIL  AND  STEAMER  ROUTES  TO  THE  NORTHWEST. 
(See  Route  Map,  in  pocket,  last  cover,  and  aieo  the  Klondike  chapter.) 

Puget  Sound  is  the  usual  point  of  departure  for  Alaska,  and  is 
reached  from  the  East  by  five  great  transcontinental  railway  lines :  by 
the  SotUhem  Pacific,  from  Ogden  or  San  Francisco  via  Sacramento  and 
Ht.  Shasta  to  Portland,  and  thence  to  Tacoma  and  Seattle ;  by  the 
Union  Pacific,  from  Omaha  and  Ogden  direct  to  Portland,  Tacoma,  and 
Seattle;  by  t'  Nortliem  Pacific,  from  St.  Paul  via  the  Yellowstone 
Park  to  Tacoma  and  Seattle;  by  the  Oreat  Nortliem,  from  Dulutb, 
Winnipeg,  or  St.  Paul  to  Everett  on  Puget  Sound  and  Seattle ,;  ""d  by 
the  Canadian  Pacific,  from  Montreal  via  the  Great  I^akes,  W  inuipeg, 
and  the  Canadian  National  Park  to  Vancouver  and  thence  to  Victoria 
or  Seattle.  The  excursion  companies  in  Eastern  cities  usually  choose 
different  routes  in  going  and  returning,  giving  their  patrons  opportunity 
to  visit  in  this  way  both  the  Yellowstone  and  the  Canadian  National 
Parks. 

Alaska  tourists  reach  Victoria  and  Puget  Sound  ports  by  sea  by 
the  steamers  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Steanuhip  Company  (Ooodall,  Perkins 
&  Co.),  from  San  Francisco.  This  same  company  dispatches  every 
6  days  mail  steamers  from  Tacoma  to  Sitka  the  year  round.  The 
Alaska  mail  steamers  have  accommodationa  for  about  100  paasea- 


f 


INTEODtTOTlON. 


gen,  take  11  days  for  the  vojage  of  2,800  to  8,000  miles  from 
Tacoma  to  Sitka  and  return,  calling  at  Victoria,  Nanaimo,  Mary  Island, 
Loring,  Fort  Wrangell,  Juneau,  Hkagway,  Killisnoo,  and  at  many  can- 
neries and  out-of-the-way  places  to  receive  and  deliver  freight  dur- 
ing the  summer  weeks.  A  day  is  given  to  the  Muir  Glacier  in 
Glacier  Bay  in  the  tourist  seasou.  The  excursion  steaTiCr  Queen,  of 
the  P.  C.  S.  S.  Co.,  makes  semi-monthly  trips  during  June,  July,  and 
August  each  year.  It  is  scheduled  to  make  the  tour  from  Tacoma  and 
return  in  11  days.  It  has  accommodations  for  260  passengers,  carries 
almost  no  freight,  is  not  bound  by  a  mail  contract,  and  arranges  its 
course  and  movements  to  reach  the  places  of  interest  at  most  con- 
venient hours.  It  visits  the  Taku  as  well  as  the  Muir  Glacier.  These 
steamers  of  U.  S.  register  make  no  other  stops  in  British  Columbia 
after  coaling  at  Nanaimo.  Fare,  reduced  now  to  |60  for  the  round 
trip  from  Tacomit 

The  Canadian  Pacific  Navigation  Company,  of  Victoria,  dispatches 
semi-monthly  mail  steamers  from  Victoria  to  Port  Simpson  and  way 
ports  the  year  rotmd.  When  inducements  are  offered  tliey  visit  the 
Queen  Charlotte  Islands,  but  do  not  cross  the  Alaska  line.  The  C.  P. 
N.  Co.  arrange  for  one  or  more  excursions  from  Victoria  to  Sitka  and 
return  each  summer,  a  steamer  accommodating  from  1 80  to  1 50  pas- 
sengers, visiting  the  larger  Indian  villages  and  settlements  of  the  Brit- 
ish Columbia  coast,  its  principal  fiords,  and  the  chief  points  of  interest 
in  Alaska.  Passengers  cannot  land  in  Alaska  from  ships  of  British 
register  save  at  ports  where  U.  S.  customs  officers  are  stationed.  Fare, 
$80  for  the  round  trip  from  Virtoria  to  Sitka. 

The  steamer  accommodations  by  either  line  are  first  class  in  every 
respect — the  excursion  steamers,  catering  to  an  expensive  class  of 
pleasure  travel,  offering  roost  luxuries  and  comforts.  As  all  the  voy- 
age is  in  smooth,  landlocked  watcts,  save  the  short  interval  of  Queen 
Charlotte  Sound,  sea-sickness  is  not  to  be  anticipated  by  any  one.  In 
the  nightless  days  of  the  northern  summers  little  is  lost  by  darkness. 

Private  steamers  may  be  chartered  at  San  Francisco,  Tacoma, 
Seattle,  or  Victoria  at  rates  varying  from  |200  to  $6<K)  per  day.  There 
are  few  pilots,  however,  able  to  take  steamers  the  length  of  the  coast, 
and  sailing  yachts  are  helpless  in  the  narrow,  draughty  channels, 
swept  by  strong  tidal  currents,  or  on  the  open  coast  with  its  rocks, 
ledges,  and  inshore  currents.  Launches  with  sleeping  accommodations 
fcr  4  or  10  may  be  chartered  for  hunting  and  exploring  cruises  at 


4 


INTEODUCTION. 


Juneau,  at  the  Treadwell  mine  on  Douglaa  Island,  and  sometimes  at 
Loring,  Ghilkat,  and  Killisnoo,  at  prices  ranging  from  $20  to  $40  per 
day,  according  to  size  and  fuel  used.  Launches  chartered  for  long 
cruises  can  meet  the  mail  steamers  at  Mary  Island  or  Fort  Wrangel 
if  desired.  Those  intending  to  camp  or  cruise  in  launches  should 
take  the  greater  part  of  their  provisions  and  outfit  from  the  Sound. 
All  commodities  are  naturally  dearer  in  the  Alaska  settlements.  A 
few  vegetables,  with  unlimited  fish  and  game,  may  be  had  at  any  set- 
tlement ;  fresh  beef  at  Juneau  only.  Indian  canoes  are  rented  from 
$2  per  day  upward,  each  oarsman  paid  by  the  day  in  addition. 

Tourists  make  the  usual  preparation  for  an  ocean  voyage,  carrying 
their  own  deck  chairs,  heavy  wraps,  and  rugs.  The  warmest  wraps 
are  needed  on  cloudy  and  rainy  days,  and  while  the  steamers  lie  o£f  the 
tide-water  glaciers.  Every  provision  should  be  made  for  the  frequent 
rain!^,  although  on  many  trips  not  a  single  rainy  day  is  recorded.  Rub- 
ber shoes,  boots,  and  leggings,  waterproof  coats  and  cloaks,  add  much 
to  the  certain  comfort  and  enjoyment  of  the  voyage.  Alpenstocks  for 
the  glacier  may  be  rented  from  the  porters.  Spiked  shoes,  ice  axes, 
and  ropes  are  not  needed. 

United  States  money  is  current  everywhere,  and  the  Indians  greatly 
prefer  silver  coin  to  gold  or  notes  in  any  dealings  with  whites.  All  bag- 
gage of  travellers  is  subject  to  a  customs  examination  on  crossing  the 
boundary  between  Washington  and  British  Columbia.  The  frequent 
communication  with  China  causes  extra  vigilance  by  health  officers  at 
Victoria  and  Port  Townsend  for  small-pox  cases,  and  the  traveller  may 
be  saved  untold  annoyance  and  delays  if  provided  with  a  vaccination 
certificate  before  embarking.  While  cholera  is  present  iu  Chinese 
ports  every  summer,  its  germs  have  never  survived  the  long  ocean  voy- 
age in  the  quarter  century  of  steam  communication  between  our  Pacific 
coast  and  Asiatic  ports. 

The  plan  of  this  book  follows  as  nearly  as  possible  The  Cana- 
dian Guide  Books,  Parts  I  and  II.  Names  of  places  and  objects  of 
importance  are  printed  in  large-faced  type  or  in  ItcUict ;  the  names 
of  railway  and  steamship  lines  are  printed  in  full  once,  and  abbreviated 
by  initial  letters  whenever  repeated :  Hudson's  Bay  Co.  becomes  H.  B. 
Co.,  and  the  points  of  the  compass  are  Indicated  by  the  initials  N.  for 
north,  S.  for  south,  etc. 


THE  GUIDE  BOOK  TO  ALASKA. 


THE  FUOET  SOUND  COUNTRY. 

Thk  first  section  of  the  Northwest  Coast,  including  western  Wash- 
ington, is  so  fully  described  in  Appletons'  General  Guide,  that  but  few 
other  references  are  needed  for  the  Alaska  tourist,  who  begins  and  ends 
his  Toyagings  here. 

Tacoma.  the  county  seat  of  Pierce  County,  population  36,006  by  cen- 
sus of  1890,  is  situated  on  a  bluff  180  ft.  high,  overlooking  Puyallup  or 
Commencement  Bay,  as  named  by  Commander  Wilkes  in  1841,  who  there 
commenced  his  surveys  of  the  Sound.  The  first  house  was  built  in 
1862.  The  general  passenger  station  of  the  N.  P.  R.  R.  is  on  the  edge 
of  the  bluff  at  the  intersection  of  Pacific  Ave.  All  baggage  checked  to 
"  Tacoma  "  is  left  at  this  station,  unless  checked  to  "  Tacoma  Wharf," 
the  branch  station  a  mile  below  at  the  water's  edge.  Sound,  Alaska,  and 
ocean  steamers  depart  from  this  wharf.  Electric  cars  connect  the  two 
stations,  and  there  is  an  excellent  cab  and  oomibus  system  with  a  mod- 
erate tariff  posted  in  each  vehicle.  The  Tacoma,  on  the  edge  of  the 
bluff,  and  The  Donnelly  (formerly  The  Fnffe),  the  leading  hotel — rates 
$3  per  day  and  upward.  Smaller  hotels  on  the  European  plan,  and  lodg- 
ing houses,  are  numerous,  and  restaurants  are  found  on  Pacific  Ave.  and 
on  the  numbered  streets  leading  from  it.  The  large  hotels  take  on  the 
character  of  watering-place  resorts  in  the  summer  season,  and  the  arrival 
and  anticipated  departure  of  Alaska  steamers  fill  them  to  overflowing. 

The  steamers  of  the  P.  C.  S.  S.  Co.  leave  Tacoma  every  five  days  for 
San  Francisco  and  weekly  for  Alaska.  The  Puget  Sound  and  Hawaiian 
Traffic  Company  dispatch  a  monthly  steamer  to  Honolulu.  The  North- 
em  Pacific  Company  dispatch  a  steamer  monthly  for  Hong-Kong  and 
Yokohoma.  The  Nippon  Yuaeu  Kaisha  (Japan  Mail  Steamship  Com- 
pany) dispatch  monthly  steamers  between  ^okohoma,  Seattle,  and 
Tacoma.  There  is  a  daily  steamer  to  Victoria,  touching  at  the  prin- 
cipal cities  on  the  Sound,  and  almost  hourly  communication  by  boat  and 


6 


THE   PUGET   SOUND  COUNTRY. 


train  with  Seattle  80  miles  distant.  Many  excursions  invite  the  Alaska 
tourisc  who  has  a  few  days  at  command.  The  great  hop  ranches  around 
Puyallup  may  be  visited  by  carriage,  by  trains  of  the  N.  P.  R.,  and  by 
the  Lake  Park  Motor  Co.'s  trains.  Puyallup  Valley  is  one  of  the  garden 
spots  of  the  State,  and  in  September  the  river  banks  are  lined  with  the 
canoes  and  tents  of  the  Indian  hop-pickers,  who  come  from  the  Ck>lum- 
bia  plains  and  even  the  Alaska  islands.  It  is  one  of  the  points  of  de- 
parture for  mountain-climbers  who  essay  the  ascent  of  the  great  peak 
of  Mt.  Rainier,  now  surrounded  by  a  Government  forest  reserve. 


The  Pacific  Forest  Reserve  and  Mt.  Rainier. 

This  park  of  967,680  acres  was  created  by  proclamation  of  Presi- 
dent Harrison,  February  20,  1893.  Forty-two  townships  of  Pierce, 
Lewis,  Yakima,  and  Kittetas  Counties  were  withdrawn  from  entry  to 


QLAOICRS 
OF 

>j. ,  ,.^^    MOUNT  BAINIEB 

> " .     :^    B||  tnm  tb*  "Nivtiwim 

^0010011^%    TrutoootliMatftl  Sunvy," 

ar  BAILEY  WILLIS. 
1883. 


1.  Liberty  ("ap,  14,282.    2.  Dome,  14,869.    8.  South  Peak.    4.  Longmlre  Spra. 
6.  Paradioe  Valley.    6.  '"■braltar.    7.  Eagle  Cliff.    ♦Crater. 

protect  the  head  waters  of  the  Puyallup,  Carbon,  White,  Natchez, 
Tietan,  Nisqually,  and  Cowlitz  Rivers  which  flow  from  the  glaciers  radi- 
ating from  the  summit  of  Mt.  Rainier  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel.    The 


THE  PUOET  SOUND  OOUNTRT. 


park  meaoures  86  miles  from  E.  to  W.  and  42  miles  from  N.  to  S.  There 
are  trails  and  waggon  roads  to  the  points  of  intereHt  on  the  W.  and  S.  side. 

Mt.  Rainier  (14,444  ft.)  is  the  highest  peak  in  the  Cascade  Range, 
chief  in  a  group  of  volcanoes,  and  rises  abruptly  from  the  low  forest 
lands  covering  the  56  miles  between  its  base  and  Puget  Sound.  Van- 
couver saw  it  from  Marrowstone  Point,  opposite  Port  Townsend,  May 
10,  1792,  and  named  it  for  his  friend  Rcar-Admiral  Rainier,  onr  of  the 
Lords  of  the  Admiralty.  It  was  smoking  splendidly  when  Fremont  left 
the  Columbia  in  1842,  the  Pathfinder  alluding  to  it  as  Regnier,  and,  with 
many,  Itelieving  that  it  had  been  named  for  Lieutenant  Regnier,  of  Mar- 
chand's  cxi)ediuon  (1791). 

The  Puyallup  Indians  call  the  peak  Tnh-ko-bah,  the  Nisquallys  Tah- 
ho-mah,  the  Duwamish  Ta-ko-bet,  all  meaning  the  snowy  or  snow  moun- 
tain. For  years  the  local  and  landsman's  name  was  Tacoma,  naviga- 
tors using  the  chart  name  of  Rainier.  The  rivalry  between  the  cities  of 
Seattle  and  Tacoma  made  the  mouiu  lin'snamea  subject  of  bitter  strife, 
the  N.  P.  Co.  printing  it  as  Tacoma  in  all  maps  and  publications.  In 
1890  the  U.  S.  Board  of  Geographic  Names  decided  that  Rainier  must 
stand  on  all  Government  charts,  maps,  and  publications,  Vancouver's 
charts  having  l>een  accepted  and  used  as  authority  for  a  century. 

The  peak  is  a  symmetrical  pyramid,  as  viewed  from  Seattle;  a 
double  peak  from  Tacoma ;  and  from  Olympia  or  Yelm  Prairie  on  the 
line  of  the  N.  P..  south  of  Tacoma,  it  shows  its  three  peaks  in  outline 
like  Mt.  Fairweather  and  Mt.  St.  Elias. 

The  first  attempt  to  climb  the  great  peak  was  made  by  Dr.  William 
Frazer  Tolmie,  surgeon  of  the  H.  B.  Co.'s  Fort  Nistjually,  in  1833,  and 
resulted  in  his  reaching  Tolmie  Peak  by  way  of  Crater  Lake  on  the 
N.  W.  slope.  Lieutenant  A.  V.  Kautz  reached  the  South  Peak  in  1857 ; 
Messrs.  P.  B.  Van  Trump  and  Hazard  Stevens  reached  the  Dome  or 
Crater  Peak  in  August,  1870;  and  Messrs.  A.  D.  Wilson  and  S.  F. 
Emmons,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  in  October,  1870,  At  the  close  of 
1892,  88  climbers  were  known  to  have  reached  the  summit,  all  ascend- 
ing by  the  Gibraltar  Trail  on  the  S.  side,  save  Warner  Fobes  and  two 
companions  who  climbed  the  ridge  on  the  N.  E.  side  by  the  White 
River  Glacier,  in  1884,  and  George  Bayley  and  P,  B,  Van  Trump  on  the 
W.  side  in  1892.  One  woman.  Miss  Fay  Fuller,  reached  the  summit 
August  10, 1890,  and  over  200  climbers  of  the  Mazamas  Club  reached  the 
summit  from  their  grand  encampment  in  Paradise  Valley,  in  July,  1897. 

Eight  days  is  the  least  time  in  which  an  experienced  climber  can 
make  the  round  trip  from  either  Seattle  or  Tacoma  to  the  summit  of 
Mt,  Rainier  and  return.    P.  B.  Van  Trump,  the  veteran  guide,  lives  at 


8 


THE   PUOET   SOUND  CODNTBT. 


Yelm  Prairie ;  George  Drirer,  guide,  may  be  communicated  with  through 
7^«  Tacoma,  Tacoma;  and  Mr.  E.  C.  Ingraham,  the  Seattle  publisher, 
will  advise  any  intending  dim  Iters  who  may  appeal  to  him  there.  Eton- 
ville  (P.  0.)  is  the  point  of  real  departure,  and  may  be  reached  by  daily 
stages  or  hacks  from  Puyallup,  Roy,  or  Yelm  Prairie  stations  on  the 
N.  P.  R.,  either  route  involving  a  ride  of  26  or  30  miles.  The  next 
stage  is  18  miles  to  Kemahan's  Palisade  Farm  in  Succotash  (Su-ho-tas, 
"  black  raspberry  ")  Valley.  A  third  start  is  made  before  sunrise,  in 
order  to  ford  the  Rainier  Fork  of  the  Nisqually  (6  miles  beyond)  before 
the  melting  ice  and  snow  raise  the  glacial  torrent. 

Longmire't  hot  soda  springs  hotel  is  headquarters  for  campers  and 
climbers,  and  offers  plain  shelter  and  comforts.  A  horse  trail  leads 
thence  4  miles  to  the  foot  of  the  Nisqually  Glacier,  the  Nisciually 
River  emerging  irom  an  ice  cavern  in  its  front.  A  switchback  trail  of 
2  miles  leads  1,200  ft.  un  the  front  of  the  Nisqually  Bluff  and  ends  in 
Paradise  Valley  (6,700  ft.),  a  park  at  the  snow-line  carpeted  with  wild  f.ow- 
ers.  Good  climbers  may  leave  their  horses  at  the  foot  of  the  glacier,  climb 
and  cross  the  ice  to  Paradise  Valley,  which  is  6  miles  from  the  summit. 
It  is  one  day's  hard  climb  with  creepers  or  lumbermen's  "  calkf,"'  over 
ice  and  snow  to  the  foot  of  Gibraltar  Rock  (11,000  ft.),  where  the  night 
is  spent.  An  early  start  is  made  to  cross  the  dangerous  ledges  on  Gi- 
braltar's face  and  cut  steps  up  a  steep  ice  cliff  before  the  day's  avalanches 
begin,  and  the  twin  craters  with  a  common  central  rim  upholding  the 
snowy  Dome  or  Crater  Peak  (14,444  ft.)  may  be  reached  before  noon. 
Climbers  usually  aim  to  spend  the  night  in  the  ice  caves  formed  by  the 
sulphur  vent-holes  in  the  crater.  Food  is  warmed  over  steam  jets,  and 
with  lights  the  ice  caverns  may  be  explored  for  hundreds  of  feet.  The 
larger  crater  is  three  quarters  of  a  mile  in  diameter,  and  both  but  vent- 
holes  of  a  vaster  cone  of  preglacial  days.  The  Liberty  Cap,  Tacoma, 
or  North  Peak  (14,000  ft.),  tlic  apparent  summit  seen  from  Tacoma,  is  2 
miles  distant  from  South  Peak,  and  the  true  or  Crater  Peak  lies  mid- 
way. The  height,  14,444  ft.,  as  given  in  Gannett's  Dictionary  of  Alti- 
tudes, is  the  result  of  triangulations  from  a  base-line  on  the  Sound 
measured  by  Prof.  George  C.  Davidson.  Mr.  A.  D.  Wilson,  of  the  North- 
ern Transcontinental  Curvey,  gives  14,900  ft.  as  the  result  of  over  one 
hundred  trigonometrical  determinations  from  the  E.  side  of  the  moun- 
tain. 

A  shorter  and  easier  Rainier  excursion  may  be  made  by  the  Bailey 
Willis  trail  from  Wilkeson  station  on  the  N.  P.  R.  to  Observation  Point 


THE  PUOKT  SOUND  COUNTRY. 


9 


at  the  head  of  the  Edmundfl  Glacier,  named  for  the  Hon.  George  F. 
Edmunds,  of  Vermont,  acting  Vicc-Preflident  of  the  United  States  at 
the  time  of  bis  visit,  in  1883.  The  Point  (10,0()0  ft.)  commands  as  ex- 
tensive a  view  as  the  summit  save  to  S.  E.,  and  the  black  cliff  4,000 
feet  high  rising  immediately  behind  it  may  be  distinguished  from  Seat- 
tle. Ladies  hav.  reached  the  point  by  horse  and  sled  without  walking. 
The  Meadows,  Crater  Lake,  Eagle  Cliff,  Lace  Falls,  Prospect  Park,  and 
the  Bailey  Willis,  the  Edmunds,  and  the  Puyallup  Glaciers  feeding  the 
one  river,  are  objects  of  interest  on  that  route.  The  view  from  Eagle 
Cliff  which  overhangs  the  Puyallup  River  2,600  ft.  below  it,  and  com- 
mands a  full  outline  of  the  snowy  summit,  is  extolled  as  the  finest 
mountain  view  on  the  Pacific  coast  by  many  Sierra  and  Alpine  climbers. 
The  glaciers  of  Mt.  Rainier  were  first  reported  by  Messrs.  Wilson  and 
Emmons,  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  in  1870,  and  mapped  by 
Bailey  Willis,  of  the  Northern  Transcontinental  Survey,  in  1883.  The 
Cowlitz  Glacier,  on  the  S.  side,  is  12  miles  long  and  from  1  to  8  miles 
wide,  broken  by  several  magnificent  ice  falls.  No  systematic  explora- 
tions or  thorough  study  of  these  glaciers  have  been  made.  All  have  an 
average  motion  of  12  inches  a  day  in  midsummer. 

Original  accounts  of  the  earlier  ascents  of  Mt.  Rainier  and  descrip- 
tive articles  have  been  published  as  follows :  Emmons,  S.  F.,  Bulletin 
No.  4  of  American  Geological  Society  (N.  Y.),  session  1876-'77  ;  Fobes, 
Wanier,  The  West  Shore  Magazine,  ^'"'ttle,  September,  ISBJS;  Hen- 
dricknon,  C.  D.,  The  American  Magk,...ie,  London,  November,  1887 ; 
Kautz,  A.  v..  Overland  Monthly  Magazine,  San  Francisco,  June, 
1875  ;  Muir,  John,  "  Picturesque  California,"  New  York  and  fc'^n  Fran- 
cisco, part  xviii. ;  Stevens,  Hazard,  Atlantic  Monthly  Magazine,  Boston, 
November,  1876;  Willis,  Bailey,  Columbia  College  (N.  Y.)  School  of 
Mines  Quarterly,  January,  1887  ;  Report  of  Tenth  Census  (1 880),  Wash- 
ington; Smith,  Rev.  E.  C.,  Appalachia  Magazine,  April,  1894;  Snyder, 
Carl,  Review  of  Reviews,  February,  1894 ;  Mazaraas  Club  Proceedings, 
1897. 

The  Alaska  excursion  steamers  usually  leave  Tacoma  at  daylight,  pas- 
sengers going  on  board  the  night  before.  A  few  hours'  stay  are  allowed 
at  Seattle,  which  is  fully  described  in  Appletons'  General  Guide. 

Seattle^  population  42,837  by  the  census  of  1890,  the  commercial 
rival  of  Tacoma,  was  named  for  the  old  Duwamish  chief,  and  fronts 
on  Elliot,  originally  Duwamish  Bay.  The  stations  from  which  the 
Northern  Pacific,  the  Union  Pacific,  the  Great  Northern,  the  Columbia 
&  Puget  Sound,  the  Seattle  &  Northern,  and  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  & 
Eastern  Ry,  trains  depart,  are  on  the  water  front  in  close  proximitj 


10 


THE  PUGET  SOUND  COUNTRY. 


to  Tesler's  and  Commercial  Wharf,  where  Sound  and  ocean  ateamera 
land.  Cabs  and  omnibuseH  have  moderate  tariff  of  chargeH.  The 
Jtanier  and  the  Denny,  ratea  $8  a  day  and  upward,  are  the  leading 
hotels.  The  ship's  delay  utiually  allows  time  for  a  ride  by  cable  or 
electric  cars  to  the  heights  around  the  harbour  or  to  Lake  Washington 
or  to  Lake  Union,  2  miles  distant. 

Port  Townaend,  the  "  Key  City  of  the  Sound,"  population  4,608,* 
is  the  port  of  entry  for  the  Puget  Sound  customs  district,  and  point  of 
departure  of  U.  S.  mails  for  Alaska.  San  Francisco  passengers  usually 
join  the  Alaska  steamers  at  this  port.  Excursion  steamers  make 
short  stops,  but  mail  steamers  receive  and  discharge  the  larger  part  of 
their  cargo  hero,  and  often  lie  for  24  hours.  The  new  Custom-House 
and  Court-House  on  the  edge  of  the  blufF  command  fine  views,  and 
electric  railways  crossing  the  peninsula  to  the  Fuca  shore  afford  menns 
of  passing  the  waiting  hours.  There  is  a  large  modem  hotel  near  the 
wharves  of  the  Port  Townsend  k  Southern  Ry.,  which  is  under  con- 
struction, and  will  connect  the  west  shore  towns  with  the  other  rail- 
way systems  at  Olympia.  Fort  Townsend,  a  two-company  military 
post  at  the  end  of  the  bay,  may  Le  reached  by  fi-milo  carriage-roads,  or 
by  small  steamers  which  ply  between  the  town  and  the  Irondale  blast- 
furnaces and  Port  Hadlock  mill  beyond.  Small  steamers  run  between 
Port  Townsend,  Port  Angeles,  Pysht,  and  Neah  Bay  on  the  Fuca 
shore.  There  is  a  large  village  of  Makah  Indians  at  Neah  Bay,  4  miles 
E.  of  Cape  Flattery.  The  women  are  the  finest  basket-weavers  on  the 
coast,  and  their  gayly  coloured  wares  may  be  bought  at  Port  Townsend 
and  Victoria. 

Everette  is  the  terminal  point  of  the  Great  Northern  Ry.  from 
St.  Paul.  Its  rail  communications  permit  passengers  to  join  Alaska 
steamers  at  Anacortes  or  Seattle.  Everette's  growth  has  been  since 
1690,  and  among  its  industries  are  ship-yards  where  whaleback  freight 
and  passenger  steamers  are  built. 

Anacortes,  on  Fidalgo  Island,  population  2,000,  is  108  miles 
from  Seattle,  and  terminus  of  the  Pacific  division  (Portland,  Seattle  k 
Anacortes  Line)  of  the  N.  P.  R.  There  is  a  fine  modem  hotel,  The 
Anacortes,  in   a  pine  grove   adjoining  the  wharf.     Alaska  and  San 

*  Through  neglect  to  enlarge  the  city  limits  and  include  newly 
settled  additions  before  the  census  of  1890,  Port  Townsend  showed 
little  increase  of  population  in  the  decade,  and  Jefferson  County  was 
given  credit  for  the  great  increase  in  inhabitante. 


THE   PUOET   SOUND  OOtTNTBY. 


11 


FranclRco  •teamers  of  the  P.  C.  8.  S.  ('o.  call  repilarly,  and  the  Round 
boats  give  daily  eommuDication  with  Seattle  and  Taeoroa.  Alaska 
steamers  sometimes  visit  Fairhaven,  population  4,000,  and  What- 
coni)  population  10,000,  the  tig^o  enterprising  towns  on  Bellingham 
Bay. 

All  this  upper  end  of  the  Sound  is  dominated  by  Mt.  Baker  (10,- 
810  ft.),  an  extinct  volcano,  whose  many  native  names — Pukhomis, 
Puksan,  and  Kulshan — all  mean  "the  fire-mountain."  Galiano  and 
Valdes  called  it  .(//.  Carmelo.  Vancouver  saw  it  l&ter  from  the  strcit 
of  Fuca  or  New  Dungeneas,  at  first  vaguely  floating  above  the  clouds, 
and  then  the  whole  slope  of  "the  lofty  mountain  discovered  in  the 
afternoon  by  the  third  eutenant,  and  in  compliment  to  him  called 
by  me  Mt.  Baker,"  Monday,  April  80,  1792.  Baker  drew  all  of  Van- 
couver's charts. 

The  mountain  has  been  in  eruption  many  times  in  thix  century,  by 
Indian  tradition.  There  was  an  eruption  in  1862,  when  a  great  body 
of  lava  flowed  down  the  side  of  the  mountain,  and  showed  as  a  black 
mass  amid  the  snow  all  winter.  There  are  no  trails  on  its  slopes,  and 
it  is  much  more  dilHcult  of  ascent  than  Mt.  Rauier.  It  was  first  as- 
cended from  the  W.  or  Luromi  side  by  Edmund  T.  Coleman,  an  English 
landscape  artist  and  Alpine  climber,  in  August,  1868.*  Mr.  E.  S. 
Ingiaham  and  a  party  of  six  left  the  railroad  at  Silver  Lake  Station, 
followed  the  Nooksack  cafion,  and  made  the  last  climb  on  the  W.  side. 
They  found  the  summit,  July  3,  1891,  an  elliptical  plateau,  a  third  of  a 
mile  in  length,  probably  a  snow-filled  crater.  A  small  crater,  1,000  ft. 
below,  was  filled  with  sulphur  crystals  and  sulphurous  gas,  and  steam 
blew  in  clouds. 

The  group  of  Washington  Islands  lying  between  Bellingham 
Bay  and  the  strait  of  Fuca  constitute  Inland  County,  with  Friday 
Ilarboar  on  San  Juan  Island  as  the  county  seat.  There  are  ranches 
and  fruit  farms  on  all  these  islands,  and  this  maze  of  water-ways  at  the 
boundary  line  offer  great  inducement  in  the  way  of  protection  to 
smugglers  of  opium  and  Chinese.  The  smugglers  own  swift  schooners 
and  launches,  and  easily  elude  the  one  slow  revenue  cutter  assigned  to 
the  patrol  of  the  sound. 

San  Juan  Ittland,  14  miles  long  and  6  or  7  miles  wide,  contains 
vast  deposits  of  limestone.  A  half  million  barrels  of  lime  are  shipped 
from  the  ovens  at  Roches  Harbour  each  year.    It  is  shipped  to  all  parts 

*  See  Mountaineering  on  the  Pacific,  Harper's  Monthly,  November, 
1869. 


12 


THE  PUOET  SOUND  COUNTRY. 


of  the  coast,  and  seTeral  vessels  loaded  with  cargoes  of  lime  have  been 
fired  by  a  leak  or  a  daehing  wave. 

THE  INTERNATIONAL  BOUNDARY  LINE. 

San  Juan  Island  nearly  caused  a  ww  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States,  both  countries  claiming  ownership,  as  the  Oregon  Treaty, 
June  16,  1846,  did  not  specify  whether  the  boundary  line  should  pass 
through  Canal  de  Uaro  or  Rosario  strait.  Sir  James  Douglass  and 
Govemoi!'  Isaac  Stevens  both  claimed  jurisdiction.  The  Sheriff  of 
Whatcom  County  sold  O.  B.  Co.  sheep  for  taxes.  An  American  citizen 
shot  a  British  pig,  for  whose  loss  $lOi>  was  no  equivalent  to  its  owner ; 
and  sentiment  waxed  bitter.  Genera!  Harney  hurried  troops  off  from 
Steildcoom,  and  established  a  military  post  on  one  end  of  the  island  in 
1869,  just  as  the  British  and  American  boundary  commissioners  had 
begun  their  work  of  peaceable  settlement.  A  British  war  ship  re- 
mained on  guard ;  the  garri.^D  was  increased ;  General  Scott  came 
from  Washington,  and  offered  joint  occupation  by  both  Governments 
until  the  boundary  line  should  be  decided.  Until  1S71  a  company  of 
United  States  soldiers  held  the  southern  end  of  the  island,  and  an 
equal  number  of  British  blue  jackets  the  northern  point.  There  was 
amicable  intercourse,  the  two  garrii^ons  entering  into  athletic  contests 
with  ardour;  and  succeeding  the  Treaty  of  VVashington,  1871,  the 
Emperor  of  Germany,  as  arbitrator,  decided  that  de  Haro  was  the  main 
channel  and  the  water  boundary.  The  British  withdrew  in  November, 
1872,  replanting  gardens  in  order  to  leave  San  Juan  exactly  as  they 
found  it.  It  commands  the  straits,  and  its  thousand-feet-high  hill 
affords  a  site  for  the  most  effective  battery  in  the  world.  The  dip- 
lomats split  finest  hairs  in  their  arguments.  One  strait  was  said  to 
separate  the  continent  from  Vancouver,  the  other  to  separate  Van- 
couver from  the  continent ;  and  Lord  John  Russell  said :  "  San  Juan 
is  a  defensive  position  if  in  the  hands  of  Great  Britain  ;  it  is  an  ag- 
gressive position  if  in  the  hands  of  the  United  States.  The  United 
States  may  fairly  be  called  upon  to  renounce  aggression  ;  but  Great 
Britain  can  hardly  be  expected  to  abandon  defence." 

The  Strait  of  Juan  de  Faca,  leading  to  the  Pacific,  is  a  magnifi- 
cent highway,  83  miles  in  length  and  12  miles  in  width,  but  broadening 
into  a  considerable  sound  at  the  eastern  end.  It  is  close  walled  on  the 
United  States  side  by  the  Olympic  range,  chief  among  whose  snowy 
Bummits  is  "  the  Mt.  Olympiut  of  Meares,"  "  the  most  remarkable  moun- 
tain we  had  seen  off  the  coast  of  New  Albion,  ...  a  summit  with 
a  very  elegant  double  fork,"  rrote  Vancouver.  Long  before  him  Juan 
Perez  had  named  it  the  Sier>  i  de  Santa  Rosalina. 

This  is  the  fabled  strait  of  Anian  supposed  to  lead  through  to  the 
Atlantic,  and  for  which  the  greatest  navigators  of  two  centuries 
Bought.    Such  &  strait  was  first  Axploited  bj  the  Portuguese  naviga- 


TH3  PUGET  SOUND  COUNTET. 


13 


tor  Cortereal,  who  claimed  to  have  sailed  from  tbe  Labrador  coast 
through  a  narrow  strait  to  the  Indian  Ocean  in  the  year  1 600.  Eighty- 
eight  years  later  Maldonado  said  that  he  too  had  sailed  through  these 
straits  of  Anian  to  the  Western  Ocean.  Then  Admiral  del  Fonte  has- 
tened north-vard  from  Oallao  in  1C40  to  intercept  some  Boston  ships 
that  were  to  come  through  this  northwest  passage  to  interfere  with 
Spanish  interests  in  the  Pacific.  Del  Font£  gave  full  details,  and  told 
all  about  the  great  archipelago  of  San  Lazaria  and  the  great  river 
under  the  63d  parallel.  He  described  the  natives,  gave  the  names  of 
their  villages,  their  numbers,  and,  sailing  up  a  river  to  a  lake,  passed 
out  by  another  river  into  the  Atlantic,  and  there  found  a  ship  from 
"  Malteshusetts."  In  the  year  1692,  Apostolos  Vr.ienanos,  or  Juan  de 
Fuca,  a  Greek  pilot  in  the  employ  of  the  Viceroy  of  Nov  Spain,  took  a 
caravel  into  "a  broad  opening  between  47°  and  48°.''  He  sailed  east- 
ward for  100  miles,  and  past  divers  islands  for  20  days,  where  be  saw 
men  clad  in  the  skins  of  beasts,  and  emerged  into  the  Atlantic.  Con- 
sidering his  duty  done,  he  sailed  back  through  his  straits  and  down  to 
Acapuico ;  was  sent  to  Spain  to  report  the  marvel  to  the  king,  and 
some  years  later  told  his  tale  of  discovery  and  royal  neglect  to  an  Eng- 
lish consul  in  Italy,  who  tried  vainly  to  interest  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  in 
the  matter  and  have  the  old  man  taken  to  England.  Then  began  that 
series  of  voyages  in  search  of  the  straits  of  Anian,  which  employed  all 
the  great  navigators  from  Frobisher  and  Drake  to  Vancouver,  and  filled 
their  day  with  such  true  sea-stories  as  have  no  match  now.  Every 
adventurer  and  every  navigator  out  of  a  job  claimed  to  hnv;  gone 
through  the  straits,  or  to  be  willing  to  go  at  some  one  else's  expense, 
and  the  wits  and  romancers  made  fine  play  with  the  theme. 

Captain  James  Cook,  on  his  third  and  last  voyage  of  discovery, 
sought  for  tbe  strait,  but  missed  it,  discovering  Nootka,  on  the  W.  coast 
of  Vancouver  Island,  which  the  Spaniards  had  previously  found,  and 
where  they  later  built  a  fort  to  ward  off  Russian  advances  toward  their 
California  colonies.  In  1787  Berkely  found  the  broad  strait;  in  1788 
Meares  sailed  into  and  named  it  for  Juan  de  Fuca ;  in  1 789  Captain 
Kendrick,  of  Boston,  sailed  arovind  Vancouver  Island;  in  179f^  Lieu- 
tenant Quimper  entered  Puget  Sound  and  the  Gulf  of  Georgia  ;  in  1791 
Caamano  explored  and  discovered  the  Eraser  River  ;  and  in  1792  Gaiiano 
and  Valdes  surveyed  the  Gulf  of  Georgia  and  circumnavigated  the 
great  island,  overtaken  and  accompanied  by  Vancouver.  The  latter 
had  been  sent  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  Nootka  Con- 
vention, which,  in  adjudging  indemnity  for  British  ships  seized  and  sold 
for  invading  the  Spanish  colonies,  decreed  that  the  Spaniards  should 
abandon  their  Nootka  fort,  and  the  Northwest  Coast  become  virgin  soil 
free  to  trade  and  settlement  by  all  people.  Vancouver  was  charged  tc 
investigate  the  alleged  discovery  of  De  Fuca's  strait,  and  to  explore 
the  coast  for  a  passage  into  the  Atlantic.  Spanish  explorers,  and  Boston 
and  British  fur-traders  had  preceded  him  in  many  instances,  but  al- 
though he  met  them,  saw  their  charts,  and  received  much  aid,  his 
charts  and  narrative  ignore  their  work,  and.  bein^  the  first  published, 
won  him  a  discoverer's  honours  throughout.     His  charts  were  the  only 


14 


VANCOFVEB   ISLAND. 


ones  in  use  between  Puget  Sound  and  Dixon  Entrance  until  the  Wilkes 
Exploring  Expedition  surveys,  in  1841,  furnished  new  charts  from  Com- 
mencement Bay  to  the  Gulf  of  Georgia,  and  the  Richards  and  Pender 
surveys,  1868-'68,  of  the  entire  British  Columbia  coast  were  made  the 
basis  of  a  new  set  of  admiralty  charts.  Vancouver  is  the  authority 
for  many  charts  of  southeastern  Alaska  now  in  use. 


Vancouver  Island. 

The  island  of  Quadra*  and  Vancouver,  as  those  two  agreed  to  call 
it  in  1792,  is  the  largest  island  on  the  Pacific  coast  of  North  America, 
800  miles  long,  from  40  to  80  miles  wide,  and  in  area  nearly  equalling 
Ireland,  which  its  climate  resembles.  It  is  mountainous  throughout, 
the  main  range,  a  continuation  of  the  Olympics,  showing  many  peaks 
6,000  and  8,000  ft.  in  height.  The  shores  are  deeply  indented,  many 
inlets  penetrating  to  the  heart  of  the  island,  which  is  deiisely  wooded 
throughout,  with  occasional  small  prairies  at  the  southern  end.  Mineral 
deposits  have  been  uncovered  at  many  places,  and  extensive  coal  fields 
are  worked  on  the  C  orgian  shore.  Settlements  have  advanced  slowly 
on  the  west  coiist,  which  is  beset  with  many  dangers  to  navigation, 
but  which  in  time  must  attract  fishing  communities.  Scottish  crofter 
families  have  already  been  colonized  for  that  purpose. 

After  the  abandonment  of  Nootka,  the  first  settlement  was  made  by 
the  H.  B.  Co.  in  1844,  when  they  built  a  fort  at  the  native  Camosvn, 
"  the  place  where  camass  grows,"  wliich  became  Fort  Victoria.  In  1849 
her  Majesty  assigned  all  of  Vancouver  Island  to  the  H.  B.  Co.  forever. 
In  1868  it  was  bought  back  by  the  Crown  for  £5T,.''>00,  just  as  the 
Fraser  River  gold  excitemi  nt  brought  30,000  people  to  the  colony  at 
once,  and  a  canvas  city  of  15,000  inhabitants  surrounded  the  stockade 
for  months.  Vancouver  was  a  separate  colony,  and  Sir  James  Douglass 
its  Governor,  until  1866,  when  it  became  one  province  with  British 
Columbia,  under  the  same  distinguished  Governor.  In  1871  British 
Columbia  joined  the  Dom'uion  of  Canada,  with  an  understanding  that 
the  Domini 3n  would  build  a  railway  to  the  Pacific.  Delay  in  fulfilling 
that  promise  caused  disaffection  and  a  strong  sentiment  for  annexation 
with  the  United  States.  The  completion  of  the  C.  P.  R.  in  1885 
brought  a  revival  second  only  to  Fraser  River  times,  and  the  island 
cities  have  grown  as  rapidly  as  their  younger  rivals  on  the  mainland 
shore.  Exteni^ive  fortifications  protect  Esquimault,  the  British  naval 
station,  which  commands  the  strait  of  Fuca. 

Victoria,  population  20,00(^^»,  fully  described  in  Thk  Canadian 
GriDK-BooK,   Part   II,   offers   much   to  the   tourist   who  awaits  the 

*  Quadra  was  Spanish  commandant  at  Nootka  in  1792. 


Unitilirtiy  in  Sldiilcy  I'uik,    I'ancuuver, 


VANCOUVER   ISLAND. 


15 


Alasba  steamer  at  that  point.  The  Driard  ($3.60  per  day)  and  tb« 
Dalleu  (|3  per  day),  are  the  leading  hotels,  and  the  Mt.  Baker  Hotel, 
at  Oak  Bay,  reached  by  electric  cars.  T.ie  P.  C.  S.  S.  Co.'s  steam- 
ers land  passengers  at  the  outside  wharf,  and  the  C.  P.  N.  Co.'s  steam- 
ers land  at  the  wharves  at  the  inside  harbour.  An  electric  railway 
connects  the  outside  wharf  with  the  business  part  of  the  city,  and  its 
branch  lines  reach  Esquimault  and  the  suburbs.  Cabs  are  cheap,  and 
the  drives  about  Victoria  are  much  famed  for  the  picturesque  scenes 
they  lead  to,  and  their  perfect  road-beds.  There  is  daily  communica- 
tion between  Victoria,  Vancouver,  New  Westminster,  Port  Townsend, 
Seattle,  and  Tacoma.  The  C.  P.  N.  Co.'s  mail  steamers  make  semi- 
monthly trips  to  Barclay  Sound,  on  the  W.  coast  of  the  island,  and 
to  the  N.  coast.  C.  P.  N.  Co.'s  excursion  steamers  depart  at  inter- 
vals for  Alaska  during  the  summer  months,  calling  at  Vancouver, 
Alert  Bay,  Fort  Rupert,  River's  Inlet,  China  Hat,  Gardiner's  Inlet,  Port 
Essington,  Metlakahtla  and  Port  Simpson,  in  addition  to  the  chief 
points  of  interest  in  Alaska — Fort  Wrangel,  Sitka  and  Juneau,  and 
skirting  past  but  not  landing  at  the  Muir  and  Taku  Glaciers. 

The  P.  C.  S.  S.  Co.'s  steamers  regularly  call  at  Victoria  in  going  and 
returning,  and  their  steamers  plying  between  San  Francisco  and  the 
Paget  Sound  ports  make  it  a  regular  port  of  call  every  five  days. 

The  C.  P.  R.  Royal  Mail  Steam^^hip  Line  to  China  and  Japan  and 
the  Canadian  Australian  Line  call  at  Victoria  in  going  and  returning. 
The  steamers  of  the  N.  P.  R.  Co.  to  China  and  Japan,  the  Puget 
Sound  and  Hawaii  Traffic  Co.'s  Honolulu  steamers,  and  the  Nippon 
Tuseu  Kaisha  vessels,  also  cal!  at  Victoria. 

The  Island  Railway,  80  miles  in  length,  connects  Esquimault  and 
Victoria  with  Nanaimo  on  the  Gulf  of  Georgia.  It  wr  s  begun  in  1884 
and  completed  in  1888,  its  projectors,  Robert  Dunsmuir  and  his  sons, 
James  Bryden,  Leiand  Stanford,  C.  P.  Huntington,  and  Charles  Crocker, 
receiving  a  Government  subsidy  of  $760,000,  and  a  grant  of  land  ten 
miles  in  width  on  either  side  of  the  road-bed,  with  all  the  minerals  and 
timber  included.  Passengers  may,  at  tneir  own  expense,  agreeably 
break  the  steamer  trip  by  taking  this  short  rail  route  between  Victoria 
and  Nanaimo,  and  enjoy  the  island  forests  and  scenery. 

In  a  single  day,  or  during  the  usual  waits  of  Alaska  mail  and  ex- 
cursion steamers  at  Victoria,  the  to'irist  can  see  the  fortifications,  war 
ships,  and  dry  dock  at  Esquimault ;  the  boiling-tide  rapids  at  the  Gorge, 
the  true  Esquimault,  or  "  rush  of  waters  " ;  the  Colonial  Museum  and 


16 


VANCOUVEK   ISLAND. 


new  Oovernment  building;  the  Songhies  Gamp  across  the  harbour;  the 
curio  shops  in  Johnson  Street;  Chinatown;  and  on  certain  days  hear 
the  Military  Band  play  in  Beacon  Hill  Park.  There  are  two  golf  clubs 
at  Victoria,  which  visitors  properly  commended  may  have  use  of.  The 
Dominion  tariff  prevents  the  shops  from  offering  many  inducements  to 
shoppers  and  amateur  smugglers  to  the  United  States.  Sooke,  Saanich, 
Gowichan,  further  inlets  and  distant  lakes,  with  their  tidy  British  inns, 
snug  shooting-boxes,  or  rough  c&mps,  offer  much  to  sportsmen  and 
anglers  who  may  prolong  their  stay. 

TIDES. 

The  tides  of  the  Pacific  coast  differ  greatly  from  those  of  the 
Atlantic.  Lieutenant  R.  0.  Ray,  U.  S.  N.,  in  the  U.  S.  Hydrographic 
Office,  "Coast  of  Britiijh  Columbia,"  explains  these  Pacific  tides  in 
this  reference  to  those  of  the  strait  c    tuca  and  Gulf  of  Georgia  : 

"  The  great  and  perplexing  tidal  irregularities  may  therefore  be  said 
to  be  embraced  between  the  strait  of  Fuca,  near  the  Race  L-^lands,  and 
Cape  Mudge,  a  distance  of  160  miles ;  and  a  careful  investigation  of  the 
observations  made  at  Esquia>ault,  and  among  the  islands  of  the  Haro 
Archipelago,  shows  that  during  the  summer  months.  May,  June,  and 
July,  there  occurs  but  one  hi'^h  and  one  low  w.-\ter  during  the  twenty- 
four  hours,  high  water  at  the  full  and  change  of  the  moon  happening 
about  midnight,  and  varying  but  slightly  from  that  hour  during  any 
day  of  the  three  months;  the  springs  range  from  8  to  10  ft.,  the  neaps 
from  4  to  5  ft.  The  tides  are  almost  stationary  for  two  hours  on  either 
side  of  high  or  low  wate' ,  Uiiless  affected  by  strong  winds  outside. 

"  During  August,  September,  and  October  there  are  two  high  and  low 
waters  in  the  twenty-f  ^ur  hours ;  a  superior  and  an  inferior  tide,  the 
high  water  of  the  superior  varying  between  Ih.  and  3h.  a.  m..  the  range 
during  these  months  from  3  to  6  ft.,  the  night  tide  the  highest. 

"  During  winter  almost  a  reversal  of  these  rules  appears  to  take  place : 
thus,  in  November,  December,  and  January  the  twelve-hour  tides  again 
occur,  but  the  time  of  high  water  is  at  or  about  noon  instead  of  midnight. 

"  In  February,  March,  and  April  there  are  two  tides,  the  superior  high 
water  occurring  from  Ih.  to  3h.  p.  m.  Thus  it  may  be  said  that  in  sum- 
mer months  the  tides  are  low  during  the  day,  the  highest  tides  occur- 
ring in  the  night,  and  in  winter  the  tides  are  low  durng  the  night,  the 
highest  tide  occurring  in  the  day. 

"  The  ebb  stream  has  always  been  found  to  run  southward  through 
the  Haro  Archipelago,  and  out  of  Fuca  Strait  for  two  and  one-half  >.  urs 
after  it  is  low  water  by  the  shore,  the  water  rising  during  that  time ;  the 
ebb  is  stronger  than  the  flood,  and  generally  two  hours'  longer  duration. 

"  The  tides  during  those  months  when  two  high  and  two  low  wat'^rs 
occur  in  the  twenty-four  hours  are  far  more  irregular  than  when 
there  is  only  one  twelve-hour  tide ;  and  another  anomaly  exists,  viz.,  the 
greatest  range  not  infrequently  occurs  at  the  first  and  last  quarters, 
instead  of  at  the  full  and  change  of  the  moon," 


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THE   INLAND  SEA. 


17 


The  Inland  Sea. 
From  Victoria  to  Queen  Charlotte  Sound. 

The  P.  C.  S.  S.  Co.'s  steamers  after  leaving  Victoria  skirt  the  shores 
of  San  Juan  Island  and  enter  the  Gulf  of  (Jeorj^ia  by  the  narrow  Active 
P(tMi  between  Miiyne  and  (Inlinno  Islands,  discovered  by  and  named  for 
the  U.  S.  S.  survey  ship  Actii'c,  in  1H5K.  The  C.  P.  N.  Co.'s  steamers 
use  Pliintjwr  I'dsn,  named  for  H.  B.  M.  S.  Plumper.  Both  are  very  nar- 
row, with  steep,  picturesque  banks.  The  Ciulf  of  Georgia  and  its 
connecting  waters  comprise  an  Inland  Sea  greater  in  extent  than  that 
famous  one  lying  between  the  three  great  islands  of  Japan,  and  it  is 
more  richly  endowed  by  Nature.  The  lOO-mile  stretch  between  Active 
Pass  and  Cape  Mudge  is  the  finest  part  of  this  Inland  Sea,  that  is  40 
and  60  miles  broad  off  the  mouth  of  the  Fraser  River.  The  Crown 
Mountains  on  the  Vancouver  shore  are  snow-capped  all  their  length, 
and  Mt.  Baker  is  chief  in  the  white  host  of  Cascade  peaks  on  the  main- 
land shore. 

The  fresh  water  of  the  Fraser  River  may  be  distinguished  miles 
away  on  emerging  from  Active  or  Plumper  Pass,  the  fresh  flood  strip- 
ing and  mottling  the  surface  with  a  paler  green,  and  with  its  different 
density  and  temperature  floating  over  the  sea-water  or  cutting  through 
it  in  solid  bodies  that  everywhere  show  sharply  defined  lines  of  separa- 
tion. Vancouver  scouted  the  idea  of  there  being  a  great  river  such  as 
Caamano  claimed  to  have  found  a  year  before  and  named  the  Rio 
Blanco  in  honour  of  the  Prime  Minister  of  Spain,  although  his  ships  were 
then  anchored  in  the  midst  of  these  mottled  waters  which  every  tourist 
notes. 

The  Fraxer  Hirer,  whose  head-waters  were  discovered  by  Sir  Alex- 
ander Mackenzie  in  17915,  and  whose  course  was  followed  from  head- 
waters to  tide-waters  by  Simon  Fraser  in  1808,  is  described  in  all  its 
length  in  Appletons'  Canadian  Guide-Book,  Part  II.  Full  accounts  of 
the  cities  of  New  We.stminster  and  Vancouver  are  found  there  as 
well. 

Passengers  arriving  from  the  East  by  the  C.  P.  R.  may  join  the 
Alaska  excursion  steamers  of  the  P.  C.  S.  S.  Co.  at  Victoria.  The 
Alaska  mail  and  excursion  steamers  of  the  P.  C.  S.  S,  Co.  do  not  touch 


18 


THE   INLAND   SEA. 


at  Vancouver.     Steamers  for  Victoria  (Monday  excepted)  and  Nanaimo 
leave  Vancouver  daily  upon  the  arrival  of  the  overland  trains. 


The  Vicinity  of  Nanaimo. 

Nanaimo,  40  miles  acroBs  from  Vancouver,  population  4,000,  is  a 
busy  colliery  town,  where  Ala8ka  steamers  of  the  P.  C.  S.  S.  Co.  remain 
from  six  to  twtiit  -four  hours  while  coaling.  It  is  fully  described  in 
The  Ca.nadian  Guide  Book,  Part  II.  The  town  itself  offers  little 
of  interest  to  the  tourist  save  the  old  H.  B.  Co.  block-house,  dating 
fr«m  1883. 

Coal  was  discovered  in  1860  through  the  Indians,  who  brought  a 
canoe  load  of  the  black  stones  to  the  H.  B.  Co.  blacksniiths  at  Vic- 
toria. At  first  the  Indians  were  paid  one  blanket  for  8  barrels  of  coal 
taken  out.  Four  companies  now  operate  the  Nanaimo  mines;  the  har- 
bour is  busy  with  waiting  and  loading  ships,  and  the  output  is  about 
600,000  tons  a  year,  selling  at  the  wharf  for  $3  and  $3.60  per  ton. 

The  Alaska  steamers  as  often  coal  at  the  Wellington  wharves  in 
Departnra  Bay,  which  is  separated  from  Nanaimo  harbour  by  New- 
castle Island,  whose  coal-pits  and  stone  (jiiarry  are  abandoned.  A 
steam  ferry  connects  Departure  Bay  wharves  with  Nanaimo,  and  a  6- 
mile  carriage  road  through  the  forest  gives  beautiful  outlooks  upon  the 
water.  The  Wellington  mines  lie  5  miles  from  the  wharves,  connected 
by  railway  and  carriage  road.  The  mines  were  discovered  by  the  late 
Richard  Dunsmuir,  Scotch  coal  expert  of  the  H.  B.  Co.,  whose  horse 
stumbled  and  uncovered  the  outcroppings  of  the  best  coal  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. The  British  admiral,  Mr.  Dunsmuir,  and  one  other  ventured 
£1,000  each  in  developing  the  property.  At  the  end  of  two  years  Mr. 
Dunsmuir  bought  the  admiral's  share  for  £50,000,  and  at  the  end  of  five 
years  the  remaining  partner's  share  for  £160,000.  The  6  Dunsmuir 
mines  at  Wellinu'm  and  North  Wellington  clear  over  $60,000  each 
month,  and  the  pits  are  surrounded  by  long  rows  of  colliers'  tenements. 
Native,  Chinese,  Cornish,  and  frontier  miners  have  been  employed,  and 
after  a  serious  riot,  calling  for  troops  to  suppress  it,  the  owners  closed 
one  group  of  mines  for  two  years,  and  its  village  was  depopulated. 
Wellington  commands  a  higher  price  than  Nanaimo  coal,  and  is  used 
in  city  gas  works  on  the  coast.  Dr.  George  M.  Dawson,  who  recently 
examined  these  bituminous  coal  measures,  found  that  the  cretaceous 
rocks  holding  these  coal-beds  filled  a  trough  130  miles  in  length  along 
the  east  shore  of  Vancouver  Island.     Dr.  Harrington's  analysis  of  this 


/*  -*2 


\.  .v-^ 


The  Gorge  of  the  Uomuthco. 


I 


THE   INLAND  8EA. 


19 


true  bituminous  coal  gave  an  average  of  6-29  per  cent  of  aih  and  147 
per  cent  of  water. 

BenldeB  the  carriage  roads  already  mentioned,  one  is  lieing  cut  to 
(he  Miimniit  of  Mt.  Jiemon,  l>etiin(l  Nanaimo. 

Tlie  Hiirroiiii(lin>?  forests  are  of  (^reatc^t  intcrt'^t  to  hotaniHtR,  and 
wherever  the  roeks  are  iiiicovered  thi\v  nhow  the  grooved  and  rounded 
carvings  of  a  glacial  garden.  The  carriage  road  is  often  a  tunnel 
thr'-.jjh  tlie  densp,  darit  foliage  of  tlie  iiuge  Doii^das  firs,  and  the  last 
of  the  ricii,  red-barlicd  madiofia-trees  or  Men/.ies  arlnitus  grow  among 
tlie  evergreens.  Tliere  is  an  especially  fine  grove  of  niadrf^nas  on  the 
knoll  between  the  coal  wharves  and  the  block-house  in  Nanaimo. 
Ferns  of  many  varieties  and  of  gijjantic  si/e  thriv(! — those  6  and  9  ft.  in 
length  being  easily  found  at  the  en<l  of  summer — and  among  the  many 
strange  wild  flowers  there  is  a  blue  clover.  Azaleas  brighten  the  for- 
ests in  May  ;  the  sallal,  thimble,  salmon,  and  blackberries  abound  in 
August.  Arhh/s  Irljit/inn,  the  Oregon  sweet-leaf,  or  deer-fool,  grows 
rankly  everywhere,  and  Nanaimo  children  gather  bunches  of  this  en- 
duringly  fragrant  leaf  for  sale  on  steamer  days.  Sportsmen  find  deer, 
bear,  and  elk,  or  wapiti,  in  the  wilderness.  Grouse  and  Chinese  pheas- 
ants, which  have  spread  from  the  first  birds  imported  by  an  Oregon 
club,  abound.  The  smaller  streams  and  lakes  contain  trout  and  malma ; 
salmon  will  take  a  spoon  at  the  least,  and  eo<l  are  easily  caught  in  the 
harbour,  (damping  outfits  for  a  stay  in  the  wilderness  may  be  secured 
at  Nanaimo,  and  it  is  possible  to  reach  many  remote  inlets  by  the 
smaller  vessels  that  often  call. 

The  Lighthouse  on  the  north  end  of  Entrance  fsland,  at  the  entrance 
of  Nanaimo  harbour  is  the  last  one  on  the  British  Columbia  coast,  and 
Nanaimo  is  the  end  of  telegraph  lines. 

On  the  Vancouver  shore  the  Crown  Mountains  rise  in  a  splendid 
line  of  peaks.  Mt.  Albert  Edward  ^6,968  ft.)  is  due  W.  of  Texada 
Island.  Alexandra  Peak  (6,394  ft.)  is  next  in  line  northward,  followed 
by  Crown  Mountain  (6.100  ft.)  and  by  Victoria  Peak  (7,500  ft.),  the 
latter  lying  due  Vr.  of  Discovery  Passage. 


The  Upper  End  of  the  Galf  of  Georgia. 

The  Great  Fiords  and  the  Saliah  Villages. 

Sechelt  Arm  of  Jervis  Inlet  contains  a  great  tidal  rapid  whose 
roar  is  heard  for  miles,  and  which  only  needs  to  be  exploited  to  obscure 
the  fame  of  the  Norwegian  Malatrom  and  Salstrom. 


W>  THE    IXLANT)   SEA. 

Sechelt  ^Wii^sion  in  Trail  Baj,  across  the  gulf  frcni  Nanaimo,  is 
a  tidy  village  with  a  large  Roman  Catholic  church,  where  excursion 
steamers  often  touch.  A  first  representation  of  the  Passion  Play  was 
given  here  in  1890,  and  native  communicants  from  all  parts  of  British 
Columbia  assembled  for  the  religious  ceremonies,  which  occupied  three 
days.  These  scenes  from  the  life  and  crucifixion  of  Christ  were  re- 
peated at  the  mission  opposite  Vancouver  City  in  1891,  and  at  Mission 
Junction  on  the  Fraser  in  1802. 

Phosphorescent  seas  of  wonderful  brilliancy  are  often  witnessed  in 
the  Gulf  of  Georgia,  and  black  whalts  may  always  be  seen  spouting 
singly  or  in  school,". 

Texada  Inland  is  27  miles  in  length  and  4  in  breadth,  with  Mt.  Shep- 
herd (2,90(5  ft.)  rising  above  its  many  ridges.  There  are  large  deposits 
of  coarse  magnetic  iron-ore,  containing  only  "003  per  cent  of  phos- 
phorus, valuable  for  steel-making,  and  enhanced  in  value  by  the  neigh- 
bouring coal-beds. 

Denolalion  Sotmd  and  Bate  Inlet  indent  the  mainland,  the  latter 
the  most  famous  fiord  along  the  gulf.  It  is  40  milts  in  length,  often 
less  than  a  mile  in  width,  and  the  precipitous  mountain  walls  rise  from 
4,000  to  8,000  ft.  in  height.  Soundings  of  400  fathoms  have  been 
made  without  bottom,  and  the  clear  waters  are  so  darkly  green  as  to  be 
almost  black.  Dense  forests  clothe  these  walls ;  glaciers,  si.ow-banks, 
and  cascades  gleam  among  the  green.  Lord  Duffcrin  and  th»  itJarquis 
of  Lome  began  the  praise  of  Bute  Inlet  as  the  scenic  gtn^  of  the 
coast,  and  its  reputation  increa-ses  yearly. 

The  Cape  Mwlije  villatrc  marks  the  limit  of  the  Salish  tribes  which 
inhabit  the  coast  between  it  and  the  head  of  Pugot  Soimd.  The  Salish 
are  fast  dying,  and  some  have  l>ecome  extinct  within  a  decade.  They 
had  a  toteinic  organization,  pos-*e8sed  many  arts,  yiermanent  hoi^^s, 
seaworthy  and  graceful  canoes,  when  the  first  whites  came.  Their 
black,  shovel-nosed  dug-out  canoes  make  pictures  in  the  still  waters  be- 
tween wooded  shores,  and  the  Chinook  canoe  is  said  to  have  given  the 
lines  for  tiie  American  clipper  ships  of  the  China  and  East  Indian 
trade.  They  are  a  stiperior  people,  dilT  -ing  thus  from  the  canoe  Indi- 
ans of  So\ith  America,  and  quite  as  aggressive  as  the  meat-eating  tribes 
of  the  interior.  Cape  Mu/lge  potlatches,  or  feasts,  where  the  host 
divides  all  his  property  among  his  guests,  are  famous,  one  in  1892  rep- 
resenting an  expenditure  of  *f),0<)Oin  the  gifts  distributed.  In  1888  the 
neighbouring  Cowichans  htd  at-cumulated  personal  property  estimated 
at  i{;40'7,000.  The  British  Columbia  legislature  forbade  potlatches, 
and  in  one  year  their  wealth  d^cr  ased  to  |!80.000 — the  prohibition 
of  potlatches  quenching  all  their  desire  to  accumulate.     Before    the 


THE   INLAND   SEA. 


21 


whites  came  the  sign-language  was  used  between  the  tribes.  Since 
then  the  general  medium  of  communication,  with  whites  as  well,  has 
been  the  Chinook  Jaigon  compounded  by  H.  B.  C'o.'s  factors  from 
Salish,  French,  English,  Russian,  and  Xanaka  speech.  It  has  a  vocabu- 
laiy  but  no  grammar,  and  one  quickly  learns  its  simple  arrangements 
from  the  printed  manuals,  and  finds  it  a  useful  accomplishment  on  the 
coast.  Siwanh,  the  Chinook  name  for  an  Indian,  is  a  corruption  of  the 
French  sauvage.  Klahowyah,  the  usual  salutation,  is  the  native  equiva- 
lent for  t'le  "  Clark,  how  arc  you  ?  "  as  a  white  trader  was  always 
greeted  by  arriving  friends. 

Beymonr  Narrows  or  Yaculta  Rapids — The  Great 
]Malstroin. 
Discovery  Passage,  23  miles  in  length,  separates  Vancouver 
from  Valdes  Islam/,  and  the  geological  formations  of  its  banks  show 
how  recently  the  t..  ^  islands  were  one.  Midway  in  the  pasu  are  the 
8eymonr  Nan  own,  named  for  the  British  admiral,  but  known  to  the 
natives  as  YacnUa,  the  home  of  an  evil  spirit,  who  lived  in  its  depths 
and  delighted  to  snatch  canoes  and  devour  theii  occupants,  and  to  vex 
and  toss  whalea  about.  The  Richards  and  Pender  surveys  reduced  the 
fabled  dangers  to  exactness.  The  Narrows  are  a  mile  and  a  half  long 
and  less  than  half  a  mile  wide,  and  the  ebbing  tide  from  the  Gulf  of 
Georgia  races  thro'i^h  at  a  speed  varying  fi-om  0  to  10  and  12  knots 
an  hour.  Ripple  Rock  lifts  a  knife-edged  reef  for  3oO  yards  down 
the  centre  of  the  pass,  with  13  ft.  of  water  over  the.se  pinnacles,  and 
depths  of  100  fathoms  around  them.  Ships  are  timed  to  reach  the 
Narrows  during  the  favourable  quarter  hour  before  or  after  the  ten 
;ninutes  of  slack  water,  when  the  whirlpool  boils  and  simmers  mildly. 
The  few  who  have  inadvertently  gone  through  with  the  racing  tide 
have  seen  the  whole  gorge  white  with  foam,  waves  rearing  and  break- 
ing nadly,  deep  holes  t)oring  down  into  the  water,  fountains  Iwiling  up 
li'te  geysers,  and  ships  reeling,  shivering,  and  staggering  in  the  demon's 
hold.  Ships  steaming  12  knots  an  hour  have  made  but  a  cable's  head- 
way in  two  iiours,  and  have  often  been  swept  back  to  await  the  favour- 
able half  hour  in  the  many  convenient  coves  near.  Many  vessels  were 
wrecked  before  the  pass  was  fully  known. 

The  U.  S.  S.  Sarana",  a  second-rate  side-wheel  steamer  of  1 1  guns, 
was  lost  in  Seymour  \arrows  June  18,  1875.  It  entered  the  pass  too 
late,  was  caught  in  the  current,  and  struck  broadside  on  Ripple  Rock. 
It  swung  off,  was  headed  lor  the  Vancouver  shore,  and  made  fast  with 
hawsers  to  trees  ;  but  there  was  only  time  to  lower  a  boat  with  the  na- 
perp  and  a  few  provisioub,  when  the  Saranac  sank  60  fathoms  deep, 


22 


THE   INLAND   SEA. 


and  the  crew  camped  on  shore  while  a  small  boat  went  to  Nanaimo 
for  help.  In  1882  the  U.  S.  S.  Wachusett  ventured  within  Yaculta'a 
realm  too  late,  was  seized  by  the  demon,  dra^rn  down  in  a  big  eddy  and 
hurled  against  the  rock  with  such  force  that  its  falsj  keel  was  entirely 
torn  away.  In  1883  the  little  coasting  steamer  Grappler,  returning 
with  the  pack  and  crew  from  northern  canneries,  took  tire  as  it  entered 
the  Narrows.  The  hemp  rudder-ropes  burned ;  the  frantic  passengers 
leaped  overboard  as  the  boat  careened  and  whirled  in  the  rapids  ;  the 
captain  was  sucked  down  in  an  eddy  with  his  lit  >-nr7!ii«rver  belted  on, 
and  few  escaped.  The  rings  of  floating  kelp  '.ut  '  ru  the  race-way 
are  said  to  be  the  queues  of  the  70  Chine-o    '  - :  .  the  OrappUr. 

The  Norwegian  Malstrom,  lying  between  the  ii  («f  ^  ouiherly  islands  of 
the  Loffoden  group,  atta'js  a  spc  1  of  6  knots  an  hour,  only  when  a 
westerly  gale  aids  the  tide  :  and  the  greater  Salstrom  in  behind  Tromao 
has  but  a  little  stronger  current  at  the  ebb.  The  fortification  of  the 
shores  ut  .  jIs  point  is  part  of  the  scheme  of  defense  of  Victoria  and 
Vancouver. 

The  Head  of  Vanconrer  Island. 

Johnaimie  Strait,  65  miles  in  length,  and  Broughton  Strait,  14  miles 
in  length,  varying  from  I  to  2  miles  in  width,  continue  the  double 
panorama  of  forested  slopes  and  bold  mountain  walls. 

The  Alert  Bay  cannery,  on  the  S.  side  of  Cormorant  Island,  has 
drawn  a  village  of  160  Rwakiutl  Indians  from  the  abandoned  village 
of  Cheslakee,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nimpkish  River.  Missionari^?  have 
not  been  able  to  do  anything  with  these  people.  The  most  Mith^rly 
totem-pole,  and  the  only  one  known  to  have  been  erected  or  (tst '!  xgt 
within  ten  years,  is  to  be  seen  in  front  of  the  chief's  h*-'  8(  .  >Tt 
Bay.  The  graveyard  is  most  interesting,  with  painted  l  *-  ..,  x\ 
poles,  many  flags  and  streamers.  The  eccentric  fashions  in  head-ii  tun- 
ing ceased  with  the  Salish  people  at  the  line  of  Cape  MuJge,  and  tbe 
Kwakiutl  cranium  was  elongated,  and  drawn  up  Into  pyramidal  shape. 
A  few  very  aged  people  show  the  peculiar  shapes  of  skull  once  in 
vogue,  and  fine  specimens  have  been  obtained  from  graves.  The 
Alert  Bay  Indians  will  give  the  old  peace  and  festival  dances  in  cos- 
tume, if  a  Bufficient  purse  is  made  up  by  their  white  visitors. 

FoTt  Rupert,  an  old  H.  B.  Co.  post,  is  in  Beaver  I/arbour,  9  miles 
beyond  Broiighton  Strait.  The  fort  w»'  »()i:  in  1849,  .f»i:  strongly  de- 
fended because  of  the  natives  near  it  .he  freq:;  r?  visit;' of  the 
Haidas  and  northern  tribes.  There  was  a  heavy  earth«\i'.  ..  -  •^  x  :  In 
August,  1866,  '.ad  in  1867  tlie  ranche  was  bombarded  by  H.  ii,  M.  S.  Clio 
until  the  tribe  surrendered  some  h'd;ic>n  murderers.  Since  then  the  Kwa- 
kiuils  bnve  been  pt<icea\l9  'hA  t>icit   «nnalB  eventless.    The  young 


QUEEN  UHABLOTTE  SOUND  TO  MILBANK  80UND.   23 

men  desert  the  village  every  summer,  to  work  at  mills  and  canneries. 
Tlie  block  houses  and  gateway  of  the  old  fort  remain,  and  also  the  chief's 
house,  a  famous  old  lodge  100  ft.  long  and  80  ft.  wide,  resting  on 
carved  corner  [)osts.  The  great  potlatch  dish,  in  shape  of  a  recumbent 
man,  holding  food  for  100  people,  is  shown.  Coal-mines  were  worked 
by  the  H.  B.  Co.  before  the  Nanaimo  veins  were  discovered,  and  the 
cleared  fields  and  gardens  are  still  productive. 

Beyond  the  Broughton  Archipelago  there  are  several  fine  fiords, 
the  narrow  King  Come  Inlet  having  an  1 8-mile-long  wall  of  snow-peaks ; 
and  McKenzie  Sound  vertical  walls  that  almost  shut  the  sunlight  from 
the  flooded  gorge,  that  is  only  foreground  and  approach  to  the  noble 
peak  Vancouver,  named  for  Sir  John  Philip  Stephens,  of  the  Admiralty. 

At  the  W.  end  of  Galiano  hland  there  is  a  spire  of  rock  crowning 
a  promontory  1,200  ft.  high,  which  Admiral  Phelps,  U. S.N. , and  Hon. 
J.  G.  Swan  argue  to  be  "  the  great  headland  or  island  with  an  exceed- 
ing high  piimacle  or  spired  rock  like  a  pillar  thereon  "  which  Juan  de 
Fuca  saw.  They  show  how  easily  the  Greek  may  have  sailed  for 
20  days  behind  Vancouver  Island,  (ind,  believing  the  ocean  beyond 
Queen  Charlotte  Sound  to  be  the  Atlantic,  retraced  his  course  from 
this  pinnacle  in  good  faith. 


From  Queen  Charlotte  Sound  to  Kilbank  Sonnd. 

At  Qaeen  Charlotte  Sound  there  is  a  40-mil[.<>  gap  in  the  island 
belt.  Captain  Gray  first  charted  the  expanse  as  Pintard  Sound,  for 
the  Boston  owner  of  his  vessel.  Vancouver  recharted  it  as  named  by 
Captain  Wedgeborough,  of  the  Expenment,  in  1786.  Sometimes  the 
swell  of  the  outer  ocean  may  be  felt,  but  more  often  it  is  a  stilled  ex- 
panse, where  mists  and  fogs  perpetually  hover  and  play  fantastic  tricks 
among  the  ragged  islands  and  the  near  snow-peaks.  Piloting,  which  is 
all  by  sight  along  this  coast,  is  often  by  echo  along  this  reach,  and  the 
mariner's  acute  senses  tell,  as  the  sound  is  flung  back,  how  the  shores 
are  trending,  and  have  even  detected,  by  a  strange  quality  in  the  echo, 
the  presence  of  another  ship's  sails.  Feeling  around  its  rocky  edges, 
both  of  Vancouver's  ships  struck  ;  and  in  July,  1889,  the  U.  S.  S.  Su- 
wanc  was  lost  on  an  unknown  rock  in  Shadwell  Passage. 

The  Kuro  Siwo  strikes  full  against  this  entrance,  on  its  recurved 
course,  and  .Hs  warm  air,  condensed  by  Mt.  Stephens  and  the  white  host, 
lies  in  solid  lanks  upon  the  water,  in  and  out  of  which  one  passes  as 
through  a  do'jr ;  or  the  tips  of  a  ship's  masts  sparkle  in  the  sunlight  of 


24      QUEEN   CHARLOTTE   SOUND   TO   MILBANK   SOUND. 

a  high  white  plain,  the  hull  invisible.  Bands  of  fog  pencil  the  hillfiide 
with  Japanese  conventional  cloud  effects ;  a  gray  canopy  truncates  the 
mountain  pyramids ;  or  filmy,  downy  tatters  of  clouds,  mere  mist  trailers 
finer  than  cobweb,  drift  across  green  heights,  are  tangled  in  the  forest, 
or  gathered  in  still  ravines.  Every  branch  and  twig  sparkles  with  vivid 
greenness  in  tiiis  dewy  air,  washed  clean  with  perpetual  mists. 

The  Kuro  Siwo  gives  the  British  Columbia  coast  the  climate  of 
Ireland,  of  Devonshire  and  Cornwall,  and  fosters  a  fa:  richer  vegetation 
on  shore,  all  ferns,  bushes,  and  thirsty  plants  growing  as  in  a  hot-house. 
In  forests  as  dense  as  any  that  Stanley  describes,  and  choked  with  an 
undergrowth  through  which  an  explorer  must  cut  his  way,  water- 
courses, and  the  paths  made  to  them  by  bears,  are  the  only  possible 
footways  below  the  level  of  a  thousand  feet.  Tiie  Menzie  and  Merton 
spruces,  and  the  Douglas  fir,  stand  as  closely  together  as  blades  of 
grass,  and  the  eye  sees  only  leagues  and  leagues  of  tree-tops  on  every 
slope  and  shore,  their  foliage  so  intensely  green,  when  near  at  hand, 
blending  and  toning  to  the  richest  bronze,  grey  and  olive  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  often  glowing  in  the  late  afternoon  ns  if  the  foliage  reflected 
some  concealed  colour,  or  the  slopes  were  clad  in  blooming  heather.  No 
forest  fires  darken  the  air  beyond  Vancouver's  shores,  and  the  scar  of  a 
land-slide  or  wind-break  is  clothed  with  green  by  a  second  season.  A 
crevice  in  the  rock  for  safe  lodging,  a  handful  of  sand  or  gravel  to 
cover  its  roots,  and  a  young  spruce  will  prick  forth  and  spread  its  thin 
branches,  until  in  time  its  own  needles  form  a  soil  and  support  thick 
layers  of  moss.  A  whole  forest  thu-;  thrives  on  air  and  rocks,  the  trees 
crowding  one  another  in  their  growth,  and,  with  no  tap-root  to  steady 
them,  they  fail  by  acres  before  a  storm  wind.  Their  own  weight 
often  pulls  the  thin  skin  of  earth  from  the  rocks,  and  acres  of  perpen- 
dicular forest  go  thundering  down  into  the  bottomless  channels,  and 
Nature  decorates  th^-  'leights  afresh.  Madronos  disappear,  and  the  fa- 
mous yellow  or  AlasKa  cedars  {Ctipressis  nxitkakemnti)  of  the  Northwest 
coast  show  in  the  forest  from  Fort  Rupert  northward. 


Nakwakto  Rapids. 

The  Great  Mahtrom  or  Reversible  Tidal  Cataract. 

Belize  Inlet  is  the  strangest  piece  of  glacial  carving  on  the  coast 
as  it  zigzags  and  straggles  by  many  deep  cuts  to  the  foot  of  Mt.  Ste- 
phens. It  holds  a  malstrom  twice  the  strength  of  Seymour  Narrows, 
in  the  long,  narrow  gateway  that  gives  entrance  to  its  wonderland. 
There  are  Indian  villages  along  those  cafions,  but  it  is  only  for  ten  min- 
utes at  a  time  that  a  canoe  can  pass  the  Nakwakto  Rapids  to  reach 
them.  In  the  first  narrows  of  SHngsby  Channel^  which  are  but  200 
yards  wide,  there  is  a  maelstrom  where  the  tide  makes  9  knots  an  hour 
at  the  turn.  The  canon  continues  for  5  miies  and  widens  to  400  yards 
at  the  Nakwakto  Rapids,  the  KahtsisiUa  of  the  natives,  and  the  most 


QUEEN   CHARLOTTE   SOUND   TO   MILBANK    SOUND.       25 

remarkable  place  of  its  kinJ  on  the  coast.  The  ebb  tide  races  out  at  a 
speed  of  16  and  20  knots  uu  hour,  the  waves  running  up  th^  face  of 
Turret  Isle,  which  rises  80  ft.  above  the  water  in  mid-channel.  There 
is  magnificent  scenery  in  the  labyrinth  of  farther  Inlets,  and  at  the  end 
of  one  arm  there  is  a  peak  5,000  ft.  high  which  easily  acquired  the 
name  of  Perpendicular  Mountain. 

The  Coast  of  British  Colombia. 

Tlie  Innide  Passage  through  the  Columbian  Archipelago. 

Fitzhngh  Sound,  first  in  the  line  of  channels  separating  the  Co* 
lumbiaii  Archipelago  from  the  mainland  of  British  Columbia,  trends 
80  miles  due  N.  a  smooth  river  running  between  mountain  banks. 
Just  within  its  entrance,  on  the  shores  of  Calvert  Island,  is  Oatsoalis 
or  Satiety  Cove,  a  mariner's  refuge  since  Duncan's  time  (1787).  Van- 
couver anchored  and  repaired  ships  there  before  returning  to  Nootka  in 
1792,  and  his  men  explored  the  neighbouring  inlets  in  small  boats.  Mail 
steamers  and  canoes  rest  there  when  fog,  storm,  or  darkness  prevent 
their  crossing  the  sound.  In  August,  1885,  the  P.  C.  S.  S.  Ancon  broke 
her  main  cylinder  on  her  way  southward  and  was  anchored  in  the  cove 
for  ten  days,  while  Captain  James  Carroll  made  the  221-mile  voyage  to 
Nanaimo  in  a  life-boat  in  four  days  and  returned  with  help.  The  pas- 
sengers made  it  a  gala  season  of  adventure  and  exploration,  and  re- 
gretted leaving.  Mt.  Buxton,  3,430  ft.,  is  the  sharp-pointed  peak  on 
the  Calvert  shore. 

Rivers  Inlet,  the  next  indentation  of  the  mainland  coast,  pene- 
trates 20  miles  inland,  widening  into  loch-like  expanses  so  sheltered  by 
the  precipitous  ridges  and  ranges  that  it  is  clear  and  sunny  within  when 
the  Sound  is  banked  with  fog.  There  are  three  canneries  at  the  end, 
and  the  C.  P.  N.  steamers  call  regularly  during  the  summer  season. 
The  Bella  Bellas'  village  of  Owikino  is  near  the  larger  cannery,  but 
presents  little  of  interest  in  the  way  of  polos  or  graves.  Two  canoe- 
loads  of  Owikino  seal-hunters  were  killed  at  Sorrow  Island  by  the  Kit- 
kahtlds,  a  Tcimsian  tribe,  in  January,  1892,  and  a  bittei  Indian  war  re- 
sulted ;  war  canoes  carried  chanting  braves  in  paint  and  regalia  up 
and  down  the  channels  seeking  foes,  and  the  cunstables  required  the 
aid  of  gunboata  to  suppress  and  settle  the  difficulty. 

Vancouver  explored  Burke  Canal  and  its  branches,  Bentinck 
Arm  and  Dean  Canal  in  17".>3,  his  second  season  on  the  Northwest 
Coast.     There  is  a  large  native  village  at  the  end  of  Bentinck  Arm, 


26      QUEEN   CHAELOTTE   SOUND  TO   MILBANK   SOUND. 

60  milea  from  the  sea,  where  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie  completed  the 
first  crossing  of  the  continent  of  North  America  in  1 793.  The  Biiquias, 
or  Bella  Coolas,  inhabiting  these  fiords,  are  an  estray  branch  of  the  Sa- 
lifeh  people,  isolated  in  the  heart  of  the  Kvvakintis  country,  and  they  re- 
ceived Mackenzie  hospitably,  and  informed  him  that  '*  Mactibah  "  (Van- 
couver) had  just  been  there.  Dr.  Dawson  says  that  the  Biiquias'  trail 
to  the  interior  and  the  upper  Fraser  has  existed  from  time  immemo- 
rial, and  the  Tinneh  tribes  called  it  the  Orecuie  Trail,  because  of  the 
supplies  of  oulachon  and  other  oil  acquired  in  trade  with  the  Biiquias. 
There  was  a  H.  B.  Co.  post  at  this  important  point,  and  in  Cariboo 
times  many  prospectors  reached  the  diggings  over  the  old  Indian  trail 
from  Burke  Canal. 

Cascade  Inlet,  in  Dean  Canal,  is  the  Geiranger  of  this  coast,  so 
strangely  wanting  in  great  waterfalls.  The  fiord  is  1 1  miles  long  and 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  wide,  with  innumerable  waterfalls  leaping 
from  its  tremendous  cliffs.  Vancouver  wrote  that  these  cascades 
"  were  extremely  grand,  and  by  much  the  largest  and  most  tremendous 
we  had  ever  beheld,  their  impetuosity  sending  currents  of  air  across 
the  canal." 

One  of  Vancouver's  men.  Carter,  died,  and  others  were  made  numb 
and  ill  for  days,  from  eating  mussels  in  Poison  Cove.  Special  provi- 
dence, far  more  than  Duncan's  or  Caaraano's  charts,  helped  Vancouver  to 
successfully  navigate  in  this  region,  where  a  maze  of  water-ways,  and  hun- 
dreds of  cul-desncs  test  the  pilot's  memory.  One  attractive  little  open- 
ing in  Hunter  Island  is  known  as  The  Trap,  and  a  vessel  getting  in  can- 
not turn  around  nor  make  a  tour  of  the  blockading  islet  which  is  the  bait 
to  the  trap,  but  must  be  pulled  out  backward.  An  English  gunboat 
was  once  lost  in  this  labyrinth  region  for  two  weeks ;  and  when  Mr. 
Seward  visited  Alaska,  in  1869,  his  pilot  also  lost  the  way.  The  Bella 
Bellas  have  a  bad  name,  and  when  they  took  one  aboard  to  steer  the 
ship  through  to  Finlayson^a  Channel,  a  pile  of  silver  dollars  was  put 
before  the  pilot  as  the  reward  for  a  safe  passage,  and  pistols  pointed 
at  either  ear  promised  other  reward  for  any  treachery. 

Jacobsen's  Inlet  is  named  for  the  Tromso  scientist,  who  has 
made  large  collections  and  long  ethnological  reports  to  the  Bergen  find 
Berlin  museums,  and  once  took  seven  Bella  Coolas  to  Europe.  There 
is  a  splendid  waterfall  300  ft.  high  in  this  inlet. 

Lama  Passage^  named  for  an  old  H.  B.  Co.  ship,  is  a  beautifully 
wooded  way,  its  northern  shore  broken  at  one  place  by  a  graveyard 
with  kennels  of  tombs  painted  with  totemic  designs,  and  many  flags  and 
streamers  flying  from  tall  poles.  In  an  opposite  cove,  on  Campbell 
Island,  the  remnant  of  .the  Bella  Bellas  are  gathered  in  a  model  village, 
with  mission.,  church,  school,  store,  and  cabins  shining  with  whitewash, 
and  80  dazzling  one  with  their  immaculate  array  that  passers-by  dis- 
credit the  curdling  tales  of  the  past.  They  were  long  the  most  treach- 
erous, bloodthirsty,  and  turbulent  ttibe,  and  made  the  Ufe  of  the  H.  B, 


i 


FROM  MILBANK   SOUND  TO  DIXON  ENTRANCE. 


27 


Go.  agents  such  a  dangerous  imprisionnient  that  the  post  of  Fort  Mc- 
L->u(jhlin  was  only  maintained  for  a  few  years  after  its  establishment  in 
1834.  In  1868  the  company  tried  it  again,  and  the  new  fashiona  in 
Bella  Bella  have  made  life  profitable  and  worth  living. 


I 


From  Milbank  Sound  to  Dixon  Entrance. 

The  Oreat  Scenic  Region. 

There  are  only  8  miles  of  Milbank  Sound  to  be  crossed  to  re- 
gain the  shelter  of  the  great  islands  again,  and  it  is  so  fringed  with 
islets  that  a  ship  is  often  past  it  before  its  passengers  have  suspected 
any  opening  to  the  ocean.  The  finest  scenery  on  the  steamer's  regular 
course  through  the  Columbian  Archipelago  lies  between  Milbank  Sound 
and  Dixon  Entrance,  a  double  panorama  of  unbroken  beauty  200  miles 
in  length.  The  tourist  cannot  afford  to  lose  an  hour  of  this  scenic 
watch.  Green  slopes  are  reflected  in  greener  waters,  every  tree  and 
twig  growing  double,  and  only  bands  of  algae  or  tide-washed  rock  tell 
where  reflections  part.  The  shores  rise  almost  perpendicularly  for 
1,000  or  1,600  ft.,  above  which  snow-clad  ridges  rise  as  high  again, 
and  the  channels  vary  front  an  eighth  of  a  mile  to  2  miles  in  width. 
Tall  trees  climb  and  cling  to  these  walls  like  vines,  and  cascades  slip- 
ping out  from  the  snow-banks  flash  among  the  green  and  go  singing  to 
the  sea.  The  mountain  contours  tell  where  lakes  must  lie  in  rocky 
amphitheatres,  and  overflow  in  these  roaring  ribbons. 

Finlayson  Channel  is  24  miles  in  length,  from  1  to  2  miles 
in  width,  with  depths  of  60  and  150  fathoms.  Helmet  Mountain  on  the 
W.,  and  Stripe  Mountain  marked  with  the  line  of  a  great  land-slide,  are 
at  the  entrance  of  the  channel.  Bell  Peak  (1,280  ft.),  on  Cone  Island,  is 
commonly  known  as  China  Hat,  from  its  outlines.  The  village  of 
China  Hat  and  fantastic  graveyard  are  seen  from  the  C.  P.  N.  Co.'s 
steamers,  which  regularly  call  for  mails.  Sarah  Island  divides  the 
channel's  northern  end.  Its  landmarks  are  two  waterfalls  that  leap 
from  the  snow-banks  and  descend  in  full  view  to  the  sea.  Tolmie 
Channel,  W.  of  Sarah  Island,  is  16  miles  in  length,  and  from  a  half 
mile  to  a  mile  in  width.  The  scenery  increases  in  charm  as  the  ships 
pass  through  Hiehish  Narrows,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width  at  the  head 
of  Sarah  Island,  and  enters 

Graham  Reach,  17  miles  long  and  less  than  a  mile  in  width. 
McKay  Reach  coatiuues  the  ^magnificent  panorama  for  the  next  8  milea 


28 


FROM   MILBANK   SOUND   TO   DIXON   ENTRANCE. 


The  mountains  rise  more  abruptly,  granite  cliflffi  tower  perpendicularly, 
their  front  glistening  with  glacier  polish  and  latticed  over  with  fine 
cascades ;  more  waterfalls  and  land-slides  are  reflected  in  the  glassy 
reaches ;  great  alcoves  on  the  heights  betray  the  hidden  lakes,  and 
side  canons,  lesser  Yosemites,  lead  away  into  the  wilderness  of  Princeta 
Royal  hhind.  In  McKay  Reich  and  Wright  Sound  there  is  no  bottom 
at  226  fathoms. 

At  Wright  Suniid  submerged  peaks  stand  as  islands ;  six  diverg- 
ing channels  open,  and  the  tourist  with  an  Admiralty  Chart  is  as  puzzled 
as  were  Caamano  and  Vancouver  a  century  ago,  to  know  which  way 
leads  on  or  out  to  the  ocean. 

Gardner  Canal  or  Inlet. 

Ursida  and  Devwstalion  Channels,  behind  Gribbel  Island,  lead  to 
the  grand  canal  which  Vancouver  named  f<  i  Vice- Admiral  Sir  Alan 
Gardner,  who  recommended  that  Vancouver  be  given  charge  of  the 
expedition  to  Nootka  and  the  Northwest  Coast.  Whidbey  explored  it 
in  that  summer  of  1 793,  and  reported  that  it  wus  "  almost  an  entirely 
barren  waste,  nearly  destitute  of  wood  and  verdure,  and  presenting  to 
the  eye  one  rude  mass  of  almost  naked  rocks,  ri^«ing  into  rugged  moun- 
tains, more  lofty  than  any  he  had  before  seen,  whose  towering  summits 
seeming  to  ove/nang  their  bases  gave  them  a  tremendous  appearance. 
The  whole  was  covered  with  perpetual  ice  and  snow  that  reached,  in 
the  gullies  formed  between  the  mountains,  close  down  to  the  high- 
water  mark,  and  many  waterfalls  of  various  dinient^ions  were  seen  to 
descend  in  every  ditection  " — a  description  that  might  as  coldly  de- 
scribe the  Sogne  Fiord,  the  Naerodal,  the  Yosemite,  or  any  other  rival 
canon's  walls.  But  Mr.  Whidbey  went  the  60  miles  of  its  length, 
"  where  it  terminated,  as  usual,"  and  the  explorer  gave  up  getting  into 
Hudson  Bay  by  that  route. 

Tourists  consider  the  Gardner  Canal,  or  Kithip  Cation,  the 
culmination  of  the  scenery  of  the  British  Columbian  coast,  as  it  cleaves 
its  narrowing  way  for  50  miles  between  gloomy  walls,  to  where  a  great 
mountain  blocks  the  end,  with  glaciers  resting  on  its  sides,  cascades 
foaming  down  to  join  the  sea,  and  cannery  buildings  dwarfed  to  toys 
at  its  base. 

The  Old  Man,  a  conspicuous  landmark  on  the  cafion  walls,  rises 
perpendicularly  2,000  ft.  from  the  water,  and  soundings  at  its  base- 
line give  a  depth  of  over  1 ,400  ft.  The  hlander  has  been  laid  along- 
side, and  passengers  have  gathered  ferns  from  the  seamed  and  over- 
banging  wall.  Irving  Falls,  on  the  opposite  wall,  descend  2,000  ft.  by 
successive  leaps,  and  there  is  a  fine  frothy  fall  draining  the  glacier 


FROM  MILBANK   SOUND  TO  DIXON   ENTRANCE. 


29 


above  the  Price  cannery.  The  KitlupH,  who  inhabit  the  Bummer  Bolm- 
on  villages  on  the  inlet  and  the  oiiliclian  viihige  on  the  Kcmano  River  at 
its  head,  have  few  legends  connected  with  the  fiord.  Kitlup,  in  Tnimsian 
speech,  is  derived  from  Kit,  "the  people,"  aml/iz/M,  "sewed  garments" 
— some  vague  distinction  of  earlier  days.  The  cannery  was  established 
by  Coates,  the  Scotch  thread  manufacturer,  in  1889.  C.  P.  N.  excur- 
sion  steamers  first  visited  the  fiord  in  August,  1891. 

There  is  a  village' of  Christian  Indians  at  Hartley  J/arbovr  who 
were  formerly  members  of  Mr.  Duncan's  community  at  Metlukahtla, 
and  who,  without  siding  with  their  leader  or  the  bishop,  withdrew  to  their 
old  home  when  the  troubles  began.  Tliey  have  a  neat  village  with  a 
church,  school-house,  and  saw-mill,  and  the  men  find  summer  work  at 
the  canneries. 

Grenville  Channel,  the  arrowy  reach  cutting  northwestwardly 
from  Wright  Sound  for  46  miles  without  bond  or  break,  was  named  for 
the  Right  Hon.  FiOrd  Grenville,  Secretary  of  State,  who  gave  Vancou- 
ver his  commission  for  the  expedition  to  the  Northwest  Coast.  Un- 
til Gardner's  Inlet  was  exploited  Grenville  Channel  was  considered 
first  of  Columbian  fiords,  and  the  deep,  glass-floored,  echoing  green  lane 
is  still  a  boasted  show  place  on  the  Alaska  route.  Lone  Inlet  is  the 
only  break  in  the  wall,  and  the  cannery  is  niched  in  a  fold  in  the  ro<  ks, 
through  which  a  salmon  stream  cascades  from  a  high  lake.  Right 
Hon.  William  PitCs  Archipelago  is  W.  of  Grenville  Channel,  and,  in 
Chatham  Sound,  Capt  Ibbetson  immortalizes  another  of  Vancouver's 
friends  in  the  Admiralty  office. 


The  Skccna  River. 

Sl^eena  River,  the  largest  stre';..  '-i  the  province  above  the 
Fraser,  is  navigable  by  small  steamers  •  oO  miles  above  its  mouth, 
and  for  200  miles  by  canoes.  Its  name — Skee,  "terror,  calamity,  trou- 
ble," and  Eeiia,  "  a  stream  " — was  given  it  because  of  poisonous  shell- 
fish, which  killed  many  canoe-loads  of  the  first  people  who  came  around 
from  Nass  River. 

It  is  the  greatest  salmon  stream  of  the  Northwest  Coast,  and  can- 
neries dot  its  shores  for  20  miles.  Vancouver  was  first  to  enter  it,  and 
named Por<  Ensiriffton  (or  a  naval  friend;  and  the  H.  B.  Co.'s  post  was 
built  there  in  1835,  adjoining  the  native  village  of  Spuksut.  It  is  the 
most  in\porriint  settlement  on  the  livcr,  with  a  hotel,  church,  school, 
cannery,  mill,  and  fish-refrigerating  works,  where  salmon  are  frozen, 
hermetically  sealed,  and  shipped  to  England.    It  was  considered  as  a 


30        FROM  MILBANK   SOUND  TO  DIXON  ENTEANCB. 

possible  terminus  for  the  C.  P.  R.,  bein^  4nO  miles  nearer  to  Asiatic 
ports  than  the  towns  at  the  mouth  of  the  Fraser,  and  its  distance  from 
the  United  States  boundary  and  immunity  in  eatte  of  war  were  also  in  its 
favour.  Land  acquired  a  (^reat  value  witli  the  prospect,  and  is  still  held 
at  $100  and  1^800  an  acre,  as  the  owners  believe  that  a  branch  of  the 
present  trunit  line  must  soon  come  northward. 

The  canneries  at  Port  Essington,  Cluxton,  Cascade,  Al)erdcen,  In- 
verness, Standard,  and  Mumford  Landing  produce  over  80,000  cases  of 
salmon  each  season.  Tiiey  are  properly  restricted  by  Government  regu- 
lations, and  officers  are  stationed  on  the  river  during  the  season  to 
enforce  them.  Each  fishing-boat  pays  a  tax  of  $20  a  season.  The 
size  of  the  nets  is  prescribed  by  law,  and  a  wr  "'  close  season  from 
Saturday  to  Monday  allow  a  fraction  of  the  sal  i  reach  the  spawn- 

ing-grounds. Over  100  fisliing-boats  may  be  .  .  at  once  when  the 
seine:;  are  being  set  or  drawn,  and  more  than  $60,000  was  paid  in 
wages  on  the  Skeena  during  the  salmon  season  of  1892.  The  work  is 
performed  by  Indians,  Chine.'<e,  Japanese,  Greeks,  and  Scandinavians, 
and  many  remain  during  tlie  winter  to  work  in  the  saw-mills.  Lumber 
sells  at  fifty  cents  per  thousand  in  this  section. 

The  Kwakiutls'  empire  ceases  at  the  Skeena  mouth,  and  the  Tsim- 
aians,  the  greatest  of  the  coast  tribes,  occupy  the  coast  to  the  Alaska 
line.  The  Tsimsians  have  always  held  a  monopoly  of  the  inland  trade, 
maintained  a  grease  trail  with  the  Interior,  and  kept  the  Tiuneh  in  ad- 
mirable subjection.  The  few  of  these  mountaineers  occasionally  seen 
on  the  river  explain  why  Fort  Stager  and  Fort  Hazelton,  on  the  upper 
Skeena,  remain  the  only  H.  B.  Co.'s  stockaded  posts. 

There  have  been  gold  fevers  and  great  diggings  on  the  upper  Skeena 
for  30  years.  The  Omineca  excitement  at  the  head-waters  of  Peace 
River  in  1871  emptied  Skeena  camps,  but  in  1883-'84  there  was  a 
boom  on  Lome  Creek,  and  fishermen  dropped  their  nets,  and  loggers 
left  for  the  mines. 

C.  P.  N.  mail  and  excursion  steamers  do  not  go  beyond  Port  Essing- 
ton ;  but  while  freight  is  being  handled,  tourists  have  often  opportunity 
to  take  launches  or  canoes  to  the  Hot  Springs  3  miles  across,  or  to  the 
waterfall,  12  miles  above.  The  Western  Union  Telegraph  Co.  built  its 
lines  to  Telegraph  Creek,  60  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Skeena  River, 
in  1866,  but  the  wires  through  the  dense  forest  country  were  soon 
wrecked. 


I 


' 


FROM   MILBANK   SOUND  TO   DIXON   ENTRANCE. 


The  THimsian  Peninrala. 


81 


Metlakahtla — "  the  open  channel,"  or  "  the  channel  open  at 
either  end  " — U  a  half-ruined  Tsimsian  village,  which  for  27  years  was 
the  home  of  Mr.  Dunciin's  colony  of  Christianized  Tsimsians — an  actual 
Arcadia,  a  living  Utopia  and  model  commune  that  proved  much  that 
political  economists  doubt. 

William  Duncan  was  sent  from  England  in  18f)7  as  a  lay  worker  for 
theChurcii  Mission  Society,  in  response  to  Admiral  I'revosi's  account  of 
the  teiTible  condition  of  native  life  on  this  const.  Sir  James  Douglass 
and  all  the  H.  B.  Co.'s  agents  tried  to  dissuade  him  from  going  to  Fort 
Simpson,  where  there  wa~  the  greatest  number  of  the  worst  savages  in 
the  region.  Within  thrci  ,  ears  Mr.  Duncan  had  learned  the  language,  and 
80  attached  60  of  the  Tsimsians  to  him  that  they  went  with  him  to  this 
site  of  an  abandoned  Tsimsian  settlement. ,  They  cleared,  drained,  and 
cultivated  the  land,  built  a  village  of  tidy  two-story  cottages,  a  church, 
school-house,  saw-mill,  salmon  cannery,  and  co-operative  store.  They 
had  their  own  trading  schooner,  their  brass  band  and  fire  brigade,  and  a 
village  council  of  elders  ordered  municipal  afTairs.  They  learned  to  do 
carpentering,  house-building,  cabinet-making,  shoemaking,  coopering, 
tanning,  and  rope-making.  The  women  were  taught  to  weave  shawls, 
blankets,  and  cloth  from  mountain  goat  wool,  to  sew  and  cook.  It  was 
a  model  industrial  settlement,  and  there  was  evolved  a  community  life 
more  ideal  than  anything  Plato  or  Bellamy  has  imagined.  Every  visitor, 
from  Lord  IJufferiu  to  the  roughest  seafaring  frontiersman,  could  but 
praise  this  "  work  that  stands  absolutely  without  parallel  in  the  history 
of  missions."  For  20  years  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  800  Metla- 
kahtlans  were  unbroken.  In  1881  Bishop  Ridley  objected  to  the  form 
of  the  simple  religious  services  Mr.  Duncan  held,  and  the  omission  of 
the  communion  service ;  and  the  Society  was  disappointed  at  the  few 
converts  and  baptisms  reported.  After  continued  criticism  and  inter- 
ference, Mr.  Duncan  resigned  his  mission.  The  bishop  established 
himself  in  residence  and  failed  to  win  the  respect  or  confidence  of  the 
people.  He  quarrelled  with  the  head  men,  he  struck  them  with  his 
fists,  he  carried  a  rifle,  and  called  for  a  man-of-war  to  protect  him. 
The  people  petitioned  him  to  go  away,  and  begged  Mr.  Duncan  to  re- 
turn. Church  and  state  upheld  the  bishop ;  the  community  property 
was  called  church  property.  Mr.  Duncan  returned,  and  suggested  emi- 
gration to  the  United  States  side.  When  ready  to  leave,  the  Canadian 
authorities  prevented  the  pilgrims  taking  anything  but  their  personal 
property  with  them,  and  their  houses,  mills,  and  works  were  left  intact 
as  church  property  for  the  120  of  800  who  remained  with  the  bishop. 
The  empty  dwellings  fell  to  decay,  the  clearing  partly  relapsed  to  un- 
derbrush, the  large  church  was  partitioned  off  to  hold  the  '  iidful  of 
worshippers,  and  when  a  few  years  later  the  bishop  departed,  the  ruin 
was  complete.  The  nearly  deserted  village  remains  as  a  monument  of 
misdirected  religious  zeul,  of  civil  injustice  and  oppression,  the  shame 
and  reproach  of  church  and  state. 


^2        FROM  MILBAJK  SOUXD  TO  DIXON  ENTEANCE. 

The  Japanese  emp (oyed  in  the  Skeena  Hiver  fisheries  have  built 
a  little  village  of  tlie'.r  own  uear  Meilakihtla,  ;\nd  reproduced  a  corner 
of  Japan.  They  have  thoir  own  schooner  and  cannery,  and  have 
begun  the  mauufocture  of  fancy  woodenware  for  the  tourist  trade. 
They  affiliate  readily  witl-  the  Ijotter  class  of  natives,  and,  besides  the 
resemblance  in  features  and  many  customs,  their  use  of  the  same  car- 
penters' and  carvers'  tools  amazes  the  white  residents. 

Port  Siini;>son,  the  most  important  H.  B.  Co.  post  on  the  coast, 
^  16  miles  beyond  Metlakahtla.  Rocks  and  ledges  oblige  ships  t  > 
make  a  great  detour  to  reach  tiie  wharf.  In  1831  the  U.  B.  C'".  Lui) , 
a  first  post  at  Port  Simpson,  40  miles  up  the  Nass  River,  but  as  the 
Tsim.«ians  firmly  held  tliAr  monopoly  of  trade  with  the  interior,  the 
profitless  isolation  only  endured  for  three  years,  and  the  post  was 
moved  to  this  bit  of  Tongass  ground  on  the  N.  shore  of  the  Tsimsian 
peninsula.  It  ictained  the  name  given  it  in  honour  of  Lieutenant 
Simpson,  R.  N.,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  company's  ship-building,  and 
who  died  at  the  first  foit  on  the  Xa^s. 

The  Tsimsians  had  originally  twelve  villages  on  the  Skeena  for 
salmon-fishing,  twelve  on  the  Nass  for  the  oulachan-fishing,  and  twelve 
permanent  winter  villages  on  the  coast  near  to  halibut  grounds.  The , 
beaches  about  Fort  Simpson  had  been  common  camping  grounds  for 
all  tribes  for  more  than  a  century,  and  the  Tsimsians,  tlie  greatest 
traders  and  gre.'-e  merchants  of  the  c<»a*t,  did  a  large  business  at  their 
spring  fair,  when  the  oulachan  silvered  sound  a/id  inlets  f'  miles,  and 
the  wnters  were  aliv:;  with  canoes  fi-om  every  (juarter.  After  the  fort 
was  built  the  May  fairs  were  larger;  i4,OOU  savages  were  often  en- 
camped around  the  stockade ;  the  Ije.ich  wa»  bkck  wHli  canoes,  and 
perpetual  revel  and  bedlam  went  on.  The  fort  was  often  attacked; 
attempts  were  made  to  burn  it,  ;<n(i  when  Sir  (Jeorge  Simpson  enforced 
prohibition  in  trade  in  1842  fh»r  .<iavages  withheld  their  furs  for  the 
Boston  ships,  which  continued  to  give  rum.  The  fur-trade  has  now 
fallen  to  the  meiest  frnction,  the  .stockade  and  block-houses  have  been 
torn  down,  and  the  warehouses,  where  l>ear,  otter,  beaver,  fort,  mink, 
and  marten  skins  used  to  dangle  by  the  tens  of  thousands,  are  all  but 
empty.  Tiie  II.  B.  Co.  fortress  is  only  a  general  country  store,  The 
day  of  beads,  red  calicj,  and  toy  looking-glasses  has  gone  by,  and 
clocks,  fancy  lamps,  sewing-machines,  orguinettes,  silk  goods,  chem- 
ical fire-engines,  and  marble  tombstones  are  objects  of  Tsimsian  pride. 

The  In  Han  Villnnc  on  the  i.>land  wholly  changed  its  appearance 
within  the  decade  of  loSl)-'90.  The  old  lo  Iges  were  replaced  by  cot- 
tages, and  the  totem-pole"  nearly  all  destroyed,  only  a  half  dozen 
remaining  from  tlie  forest  that  used  to  encircle  the  beach.  The  tribe 
paid  $750  for  the  granite  mon-.wnent  over  the  giave  of  their  old  chief, 
on  which  is  chiselled :  "  In  Memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  Chief  of  the 


PROM   MILBANK   SOUND  TO  DIXON   ENTKANCE. 


33 


EiUhee  Tribe.  Died  at  Por^  Simpson,  July  21,  1890,  aged  86  rears. 
He  said  :  '  Let  me  die  in  peace     Peace  I  leave  with  you.' " 

Methodist  missionaries  succeeded  Mr.  Duncan  at  Port  Simpson, 
and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Crosby  and  liis  aids  have  almost  parallelled  v he  Met- 
lakahtla  miracle,  and  the  church,  school,  hospital,  and  museum  are  the 
points  cf  great  interest.  The  Salvation  Army  has  a  band  among  these 
Tsiiu.sians.  The  village  is  governed  by  a  municipal  council  of  elders. 
They  have  their  tire  co  npany  and  brass  band,  and  duriug  the  small-pox 
epidemic  at  Victoria  in  1892  nil  suljmitteO  to  vaccinstion,  and  closed 
the  bridge  to  the  village  whenever  a  Victoria  steamer  was  in  port. 

All  the  Dixon  Entrance  region  is  bathed  in  perpetual  mists  and 
rains,  t  nd  the  moist  greenhouse  atmosphere  of  summer  forces  a  ranli 
vegetation.  The  finest  raspberries  in  the  world  are  said  to  grow  in  the 
old  H.  B.  Co.  gardens — inch-long  globes  of  crimson  dew  that  melt  at  a 
touch — rose-red  bubbles  that  have  never  felt  dry  air,  a  withering  sun, 
or  a  du.Ji  particle.  i 

Fort  Simpson  is  confident  of  becoming  the  terminus  of  the  next 
great  transcontintental  railroad  line,  the  farthest  city  of  the  Canadian 
Northwest.  Suburban  tracts  and  wild  tiniljer  lands  are  hehi  at  a  pre- 
mium, and  sites  for  roi-.Tnl-house  and  car-shops  have  been  discussed. 
Till!  rail"..iy  will  follow  the  ^  shore  of  Work  Canal,  which  cuts  south- 
ward to  within  a  mile  of  the  SLi'tna  River.  Mt.  McNeil,  on  its  N.  shore, 
is  a  snowy,  conical  peak  4,300  ft.  in  height.  The  fiord,  but  800  yaids 
broad,  widens  into  a  lake-like  eipan'se  at  the  end,  and  the  scenery 
along  its  walls  is  highly  praised. 


Nass  River,  Observatory  Inlet  and  Pr;.iland  Canal. 

Nats  Kiver  heads  100  miles  inland,  and  its  shores  are  historic 
ground  to  all  the  coast  tribes,  the  scenes  of  half  the  myths  and  legends, 
the  cradle  cf  the  native  race.  There  are  several  canneries  and  mills 
along  its  banks,  and  an  Indiau  mission.  The  site  of  the  original  Fort 
Simj  ?ou  is  almost  opposite  Echo  Cove,  the  most  picturesque  cannery 
site  on  the  coast.  Tl.e  sce.i>;ry  up  to  that  point  is  wonderfully  fine, 
and  the  i-aiions  and  gorge?  (pyond  offer  every  temptation  to  those  con- 
templating any  canoe  tr^^)B.  The  salmon-fisheries  of  the  Nass  are 
regulated  in  the  same  way  as  those  on  the  Skeena. 

The  coming  of  the  oulichan  in  March  and  April  is  occasion  for  the 
great  fish  festival  of  the  year,  and  the  tribes  gather  from  all  quarters 
to  rt  ip  the  Nass  harvest.  The  Haidas  bring  their  canoes  to  exchange 
for  ouliolian-oil ;  the  Tinneh  come  do«n  from  the  mountains  with 
pelts  and  horns ;  and  every  Tsim.-ian  man,  woman,  and  least  child 
help  gather  the  living  silver  from  the  water.  The  oulichan  (Thale- 
ichlhyn  panficnj<\  or  candlf-fish,  is  most  nearly  like  the  Atlantic  cape- 
lin,  has  a  delicate  flavour  when  freshly  caught,  and  contains  more  oil 
than  ucy  other  known  fish.    It  melts  like  a  lump  of  butter  in  the 


1 


34 


THE   QUEEN   CHAELOTTE   ISLANDS. 


frying-pan,  and  when  dried,  threaded  with  a  spruce  wick,  and  stuck 
in  a  bottK%  bums  like  a  candle.  A  bunch  of  them  touched  to  the  fire 
furnish  a  suilicient  torch.  They  exist  in  greatest  numbers,  and  schools 
of  them  coming  in  from  the  sea  fill  the  river  and  inlets  from  bank  to 
bank.  The  natires  rake,  shovel,  dip,  and  seine  them  by  canoe-loads, 
and  either  dry  them  and  string  them  through  the  eyes,  or  prc^  the 
oil  and  store  it  for  winter  use,  as  age  cannot  impair  its  iiualitie.-.  A 
little  oulichan  has  been  smoked  and  salted  for  export,  and  ranks  as  a 
rival  to  herring  as  a  whettar  to  dull  appetites. 

Portland  Canal  sep<  rates  Alaska  from  B-itish  Columbia  for  the 
60  miles  that  it  cuts  into  the  heart  of  the  Coast  Range.  Captain  Gray 
was  first  to  discover  these  waters,  and  af^er  running  into  Portland 
Canal  and  Observatory  Inlet  was  sure  he  had  found  Del  Fonte's  River. 
The  Spanish  commandant  at  Nootka  gave  Captain  Gray's  charts  to 
Vancouver,  and  full  reports  of  his  voyage.  The  Englishman  estab- 
lished an  astronomical  observatory  here  under  Puget  and  himself, 
went  with  a  yawl  and  two  small  boats  on  a  reconnoissance  that  in- 
cluded the  shores  of  Portland  Canal,  and  the  circumnavigation  cf 
Retillagigedo  Inland,  He  covered  700  geograpuical  miles  in  twenty- 
three  days. 

Portland  Canal  U  walled  by  mountains  3,000  and  4,000  ft.  high  at 
the  entrance,  while  those  at  the  end  of  the  fiord  tov^er  to  twice  that 
height.  At  tho  time  of  the  Alaska  purchase  the  surveyors  named  the 
heights  on  one  side  for  distinguished  Americans  of  that  day,  and  Pea- 
body,  Rousseau,  Halleck,  Adams,  Seward,  Johnson  (Reverdy),  and  Lin- 
coln's name  grace  peaks  and  ranges  that,  guarding  the  still  channel 
below,  combine  and  compose  themselves  into  as  noble  landscapes  as 
can  be  Keen  in  any  of  the  broader  fiords.  Much  careful  surveying  and 
exploration  has  been  done  in  its  reaches  since  the  Alaska  and  British 
Columbia  boundary  line  has  become  a  subject  of  discussion. 

The  Clueen  Charlotte  Islands. 

The  Queen  Charlotte  Island  group  lies  off  the  island  belt  of 
the  immediate  mainland  coast,  placed  much  as  the  Loffoden  Islands  are 
with  respect  to  Norway,  and,  like  them,  bordered  with  extensive  cod 
banks.  The  islands  are  a  half-submerged  mountain  range,  the  direct 
continuation  of  the  Olyujpics  and  the  Vancouver  Island  chain.  The 
compact  archipelago  measures  180  miles  from  N.  to  S.,  and  60  miles 
across  at  the  greatest  width  of  Graham  Island.  The  Kuro  Siwo  in  its 
recurved  course  falls  full  'upon  the  Queen  Charlotte  shores  and  givei 


THE   QITEEN  CHABLOTTE  ISLANDS. 


35 


the  islands  a  milder,  moister,  ind  more  even  climate  than  Fort  Simp- 
son or  the  Skeena  River  settlements  enjoy.  The  west  coast  is  a  region 
of  almost  perpetual  rain,  the  peaks  ris?Ing  sheer  2,000  and  4,000  ft. 
from  the  ocean's  edge,  catching  anJ  foudensing  all  the  clouds  and  va- 
pours borne  "vith  the  warm  ocean  current.  The  eastern  shores  are  less 
rugged,  and,  sheltered  by  the  mountain  hairier,  enjoy  a  sunnier  and 
drier  climate.  Cattle  have  been  successfully  raised  for  fifty  years,  and 
potatoes  grown  for  a  hundred  years. 

■All  the  islands  are  densely  forested,  and  each  a  vast  dead  fall  of 
timber.  Log  jams  arch  and  dam  every  stream,  and  the  wilderness  is 
almost  untouched. 

Although  Juan  Perez  discovered  these  islands  in  1774,  Dr.  George 
M.  Dawson  has  sliown  how  very  pos.sible  it  is  that  this  i?  Ikl  Fonte's 
Archipeiago  of  San  Lazario,  where  the  men  wore  the  skins  of 
beasts  and  travelled  in  great  canoes  hewn  from  a  single  log ;  where 
there  were  river-ways  vexed  by  lapids  no  greater  than  the  tide  rips  and 
currents  that  race  thro'igh  the  inlets  to-day  ;  nnd  Mynbasset  and  the 
name  of  Del  Fonte's  other  village  are  as  near  to  Massett  and  its  rivals 
as  Spanish  recorders  oonld  come  in  1640.  After  Perez,  La  P^rouse 
sighted  the  islands  ;  ar.  <'!i  <  'aptain  Gray,  of  Boston,  visited  them  and 
named  them  for  his  sIn)  iie  Washinrffon  Mands.  Next,  in  '787, 
Captain  Dixon,  who  was  exploring  for  a  London  ftir  coropan  t(.  lehed 
these  shores,  obtained  a  large  nuni)>'  of  sea  otter  skins  which  were 
then  the  common  dress  of  the  peopii,  ami  named  the  uTOup  the  Queen 
Charlotte  Islands,  in  honour  of  his  ship.  <'«ptain  Di\.>n  gives  a  full 
description  of  the  shores  and  their  people  in  his  Voyage  Around  the 
World,  and  sums  up  the  natives  as  dirty,  thievish,  inipmien*  md  mur- 
derous cannibals.  In  1791  Marchand  came  to  tbt-  Northwest  Coast, 
surveyed  and  explored  along  the  W.  coast,  and  m  his  Voyages  says 
that  the  people  were  "  good  husbands,  good  lathers,  .  .  .  hospi- 
table, mild,  intelligent,  and  industrious  people,  endowed  with  great 
good  sense,  to  whom  the  useful  arts  are  not  unknown :  who  join  to 
these  even  the  agreeable  ones,  and  who  may  be  said  t<  have  already 
made  considerable  advancen;ent  towards  civilization"  ,  le  recognized 
Aztec  words  and  terminations  in  their  speech,  and  ;  nblances  to  Az- 
tec work  in  their  monuments  and  picture  writings.  For  the  next 
twenty  years  the  islands  were  much  resorted  to  by  fur-traders,  but 
when  the  sea  otter  became  extinct  they  were  passed  by  for  a  half  cen- 
tury. The  traders  had  given  the  people  potatoes,  and  from  fur  fisher- 
men they  turned  to  truck  farmers,  and  took  canoe-loads  of  potatoes 
to  each  I'ort  Simpson  fair.  In  1861  the  H.  B.  Co.'s  agent  at  Fort  Simp- 
son showed  the  chief  Edlnso  a  '  iece  of  gold-bearing  quartz,  and  asked 
him  to  look  for  such  stones  on  his  island.  An  old  squaw  showed 
where  a  great  vein  cropped  out  on  the  face  of  a  bluflf  on  Graham  Isl- 
and, and  in  the  next  year  the  company  established  a  post  at  Uttewas 
Tillage,  on  Mcmett  Inlet,  and  their  employes  worked  the  ledge  at  Gold 


36 


THE   QUEEN  CHARLOTTE   ISLANDS. 


Harbour  until  it  dipped  down  into  the  sea.  Some  miner?,  who  char- 
tered a  schooner  and  sailed  for  the  new  gold  region,  were  wrecked  on 
the  coast  and  held  as  slaves  until  ransomed. 

Massett  is  reached  by  the  C.  P.  N.  Co.'s  steamers  on  their  irregular 
cruises  fro.n  Victoria,  and  by  small  trading  steamers  from  Fort  Simp- 
son. Its  old  lodges  are  being  abandoned,  its  famous  totem-poles  are 
tottering  to  decay,  and  the  spirit  of  progress  is  fast  eliminating  every 
element  of  picturesqueness.  Masnett  Inlet  is  the  Clyde  of  the  coast  and 
canoe-making  is  always  in  progress. 

The  Haida  canoe  ''as  a  curved  bottom,  flaring  sides,  a  high  round- 
ed stern,  and  a  long,  projecting  prow.  It  is  the  lightest  most  buoyant, 
graceful  and  cranky  craft  on  the  coast.  The  old  w».r  canoes  were  60 
and  60  ft.  long,  elaborately  painted  and  carved,  and  often  carried  100 
warriors.  The  Haida  family  or  travelling  canoe,  wMch  one  seet"  all  up 
and  down  the  coast,  is  a  slender,  graceful,  gondola-hke  affair  20  or  30 
ft.  in  length  and  4  or  6  ft.  wide.  The  hunting  or  otter  canoes  are 
cockle-shell?  6  or  10  ft.  in  length,  in  which  HaicJa  experts  go  far  to 
sea.  All  these  crafts  are  hewn  from  the  single  log  of  red  cedar,  and 
are  given  their  flare  and  graceful  curves  by  being  filled  with  water  and 
hot  stones  until  the  steamed  wood  can  be  braced  out  to  the  desired 
widtli.  Travelling  canoes  range  in  price  from  ^75  to  f  150  at  Port 
Simpson,  and  liunting  cinoes  faO  to  $50;  but  the  canoe  market  has  its 
fluctuations  like  any  other,  and  there  are  often  seasons  of  great  bar- 
gains. The  canoe  requires  constant  care  while  out  of  the  water.  It 
must  be  protected  from  the  sunV  heat  and  always  kept  wet,  and  the 
draped  canoes  along  a  village  beach  are  the  most  picturesque  adjuncts 
of  native  life. 

There  are  large  oil-works  at  Skidegate,  where  the  livers  of  the 
dog-fi-ii,  which  swarm  in  incredible  numbers  in  winter  and  spring, 
yield  an  oil  much  valued  by  tanners.  A  soft,  black  slate  is  found  on 
the  banks  of  a  cre^'k  at  the  head  of  Skideyate  Inlet,  and  the  Haidas 
carve  from  It  riiniature  totem-poles,  boxes,  plaques,  and  pipes,  often 
inlaying  them  with  haliotis  shell.  The  slate  is  soft  and  easily  cut 
with  a  knife  when  first  quarried,  but  quickly  hardens,  and  will  crack 
if  exposed  to  the  sun  or  heat  before  it  has  seaso.ied. 

There  is  a  colony  of  Norwegian  fishermeri  on  the  W.  coast  who 
catch  and  cure  halilMit  and  the  famous  black  cod  {Anoplopomajimhria), 
a  valuable  fvwd-fisli  which  has  a  different  name  in  each  section  of  the 
Pacific  coast.  As  S|)anish  mackerel  it  is  little  valued  at  San  P'rancisco. 
It  attains  perfection  farther  N.,  and  along  the  strait  of  Fuca  ranks 
first  with  epicuK'.^  ■»«  "  6c.i/ioit',"  the  popular  Makah  name  adopted  by 
the  Fish  Commission.  The  Haidas  call  it  the  skil,  and  catch  it  wit'.i 
wooden  books  attached  to  trawl-liaes.    The  hook  is  steamed  to  the 


fl***^. 


hrv 


A  JJaida  TotemPok: 


THE  QITEEN  CHARLOTTE   ISLANDS. 


87 


shape  of  the  letter  U  and  set  with  ".n  incurved  barb.  When  not  in  use 
the  ends  of  the  hook  are  bound  fast  with  thongs.  When  baited  the 
ends  are  held  apart  by  a  little  stick,  and,  as  the  skil  nibbles  the  bait, 
it  pushes  out  the  chip  and  the  hook  closes  upon  him  like  a  trap.  The 
chip  ascending  tallies  one  sAi/ caught ;  but  as  dop-fish  and  shark  wait 
upon  the  trawl,  the  fishermen  often  pulls  up  only  the  hundred  heads. 

THE  HA1DA8. 

A  church  mission  was  established  at  Massett  in  1876.  Dr.  Har- 
rison came  to  it  in  1878,  and  has  studied  the  language,  made  a  vocabu- 
lary of  10,000  Haida  words,  translated  hymns  and  songs,  and  rescued 
much  of  their  folk-lore  and  tradition.  Tne  Haidas  are  fast  dwindling. 
Mr.  John  Work  recorded  6,593  inhabitants  to  the  31  villages  visited 
in  1841.  In  1878  there  were  but  three  permanent  winter  villages  occu- 
pied— Massett,  Skidegate,  and  Gold  Harbour — and  the  Haidas  num- 
bered less  than  2,000.     Only  700  Haidas  were  enumerated  in  1891. 

The  Haidas  are  the  fine  flower  of  the  nativ?  races  of  the  coast. 
They  are  taller,  fairer,  with  oval  faces  and  more  regular  features  than 
any  of  the  Columbian  coast  tribes,  and  are  nearer  to  tiie  Tlingit  than 
to  any  other  people  I'iiey  are  aliens  to  the  Tlingits,  and  differ  from  all 
their  neighbours  physically  and  mentally,  in  speech  and  customs,  and 
many  similarities  are  more  often  the  result  ot  Haida  influences.  The 
Tlingits  call  them  De-Kinw*  "  people  of  the  sea  " ;  and  these  Pacific 
Northmen  rivalled  the  earlier  Vikings  in  their  journeys  to  distant  shores. 
The  Vancouver  and  Puget  .:  uund  country  w.-re  their  Britain  and  their 
Normandy,  and  coppery  Erics  and  Harolds  swept  the  coasts,  attacking 
native  villages,  Hudson  Bay  Company  posts,  and  white  settlements. 
They  once  seized  a  schooner  in  Seattle  harbour  and  murdered  all  on 
board,  and  Haida  was  a  name  of  terror. 

Their  origin  is  the  puzzle  of  ethnologis.  They  have  the  tradition 
of  a  deluge  and  a  sole  surviving  raven,  from  whom  sprang  Qu-a-cda, 
"  the  people,"  as  they  call  themselves,  and  from  which  came  ihe 
T.-<imsian  word  Haida.  One  tradition  makes  Forrester's  Inland,  farther 
out  in  the  ocean,  the  craille  of  their  race.  Those  who  incline  to 
Marchand's  theory  of  an  Aztec  origin  identify  them  as  the  deiscendants 
of  thoce  whom  Cortes  drove  out  of  Mexico,  and  who  vanished  in  boats 
to  the  N,  Their  legend  of  the  thunder-bird  is  the  same  as  the  Aztecs 
and  Zuiiis.  They  have  images  and  relics  similar  to  silver  images  and 
objects  found  in  Guatemalan  ruins.  They  have  modern  Apache  words 
in  their  .speech,  many  of  the  same  dances,  masks,  legends,  and  picture- 
writings  as  the  Zuiiis.  Their  resemblance  to  the  Japanese  is  quite  as 
marked,  and  as  the   Kuro  Siwo  touches  so  directly  on  the  Queen 


*  Franz  Boas,  Report  of  1889  to  the  British  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science. 


88 


THE    QUEEN    CHAELOTTE   ISLANDS. 


Charlotte  shores,  more  junks  may  have  been  stranded  here  than  else- 
where, during  those  centuries  when  the  Japanese  Iniilt  sea-^ohig  junks 
and  travelled  afar.  They  have  Japanese  words  in  their  speech,  they  sit 
at  all  their  work,  they  cut  towards  them  in  using:  tools  tliat  are  the  same 
as  Japanese  use  to  day.  Like  their  oestlietic  cousins  over  the  sea,  they 
are  imitative  and  adaptive  rather  than  orij^inative,  and  they  improve, 
elaborate,  and  reline  upon  all  they  borrow.  In  many  of  their  customs, 
in  their  bark  weaving  and  their  carved  columns,  they  are  akin  to  New 
Zealand  and  South  Sea  people.  Whether  they  copied  the  totem  pole 
from  those  before  the  houses  in  the  mysterious  city  sunk  in  the  sea, 
from  the  Now  Zealand  tiki,  or  from  the  Kwakiutls'  simple  heraldic 
pole,  they  have  carried  it  to  its  finest  development.  Forests  of  these 
columns  stand  in  their  old  villages,  their  only  records  and  monuments 
of  any  past,  brief  pictographic  chapters  in  Haida  history,  genealogy,  and 
folk-lore — a  rude  and  monstrous  heraldry,  an  elaborate  symbolism,  a 
system  of  colossal  hieroglyphs.  The  pure  heraldic  columns,  the  kerhena 
or  door-posts,  formed  part  of  i\w  old  houses  themselves,  and  the  in- 
mates entered  by  an  oval  hole  hewn  at  the  base  of  the  column.  The 
chat,  or  mortuary  column,  was  a  smooth  pole  surmounted  with  the  great 
totem  of  the  dead  man,  and  as  often  with  a  box  or  a  hollowed  space 
containing  the  ashes.  There  are  forty  splendid  poles  at  Maasett  or 
Uttewas  village,  as  many  more  in  the  villages  around  the  inlet ;  fifty- 
three  poles  at  Skidegate ;  the  finest  collection  of  all  at  Laskeek  on  Tauoo 
Island,  and  many  at  Cumshewa  and  Skfidaus. 

In  1878  Dr.  George  M.  Dawson  made  a  geological  survey  of  the 
islands,  examining  the  bituminous  coal-veins  on  Graham  Island,  and 
the  anthracite  deposit  near  Skidegate.  His  "  Monograph  on  the  Queen 
Charlotte  Islands"  was  embodied  in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Director 
of  the  Canadian  Geological  Survey  for  1879,  and  is  a  text-book  for  the 
islands  and  their  people.  An  interesting  paper  on  "The  Haidas,"  by 
Dr.  Dawson,  was  published  in  Harper's  Monthly,  August,  1882.      In 

1883  Hon.  J.  G.  Swan,  of  Port  Townsend,  spent  several  months  canoe- 
ing around  the  W  coast  and  visiting  the  villages  to  stiidy  Haida 
tattoo,  masks,  carvings,  and  heraldic  paintings  for  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  which  had  published  his  earlier  studies  In  that  line  as  No. 
267  of  Smithsonian  Contributions  to  Knowledge,  January,  1874.      In 

1884  Mr.  Newton  H.  Chittenden  made  an  exploration  of  the  islands  for 
the  Government  of  British  Columbia,  and  his  pamphlet,  "  Hyda  Land 
and  People,"  contains  a  most  interesting  resume  of  his  work. 


blse- 
inks 
y  Bit 
laino 
tliey 
rove, 
ums, 
New 
pole 

sea, 
aldic 
;hese 
lents 
,  and 
im,  a 
rhena 
le  in- 

The 
great 
space 
?«  or 
fifty- 
rauoo 

if  the 
I,  and 
Jueen 
rector 
or  the 
!."  by 
.  In 
3anoe- 
Haida 
Ionian 
IS  No. 
k  In 
ds  for 
L  Land 


/ 


55 


ALASKA. 


80 


ALASKA. 

(See  General  Map  qf  AUmka.) 

Alaska  itficlf  is  nine  timcy  the  size  of  the  New  En?;lan(l  States,  twice 
the  »hi!  of  Texiis,  and  three  times  as  inrgc  as  Ciilifornia.  It  sttetelies  lor 
more  than  1,000  miles  from  nortli  to  soiitli,  and  the  Aleutian  Islai.ds 
trailing  over  into  the  Eastern  hemisphere  make  the  half-way  point  of 
the  United  States  a  little  \V.  of  San  Francisco.  The  island  of  Attn  is 
over  2,000  miles  W.  of  Sitica,  and  the  distance  from  Cape  Fox  to  Point 
Barrow  is  as  great  as  from  the  north  of  Maine  to  the  end  of  I<1orida. 
Alaslia  contains  580,107  square  miles,  with  a  coa.Ht-line  of  18,211  mDes, 
greater  than  the  coast-line  of  all  the  rest  of  the  United  States.  The  1, 100 
islands  of  the  Alexander  Anhipelar/o  have  an  estimated  area  of  31,206 
square  miles,  and  the  Aleutian  Mamh  comprise  6,391  square  miles. 
The  Cordilleran  mountain  system  is  merged  in  one  great  range  at  the 
Alaskan  line,  and  a  host  of  lofty  peaks  surround  Mt.  St.  Elias,  the  highest 
mountain  on  the  continent,  and  sentinel  of  the  third  highest  range  in 
the  world.  Curving  down  to  southwestward  a  line  of  volcanoes  joins 
those  of  the  Kurile  Islands  and  of  Japan,  and  completes  the  Pacific's 
"  ring  of  fire.''  Low  ranges  and  leagues  of  tuiidru  stretch  to  the  Arc- 
tic. The  southeastern  Alaska,  which  tourists  know,  is  but  the  handle 
of  a  dipper,  and  residents  "  to  westward  " — i.  e.,  Unalaska  and  beyond — 
hardly  consider  a  visit  to  the  Sitkan  region  as  going  to  Alaska. 

The  United  States  bought  this  vast  country  from  Russia  in  1867 
for  less  than  half  a  cent  an  acre.  Dr.  Dall's  figures*  show  that 
iilaska  was  a  paying  investment,  returning  a  clear  net  profit  of  8  per 
cent  upon  the  first  cost  for  the  ivt-st  five  years.  The  two  tiny  Seal  Isl- 
ands paid  4  per  cent  on  the  original  $7,200,000,  and  in  their  first 
lease  retum*^d  a  sum  equal  to  the  purchase  money  to  the  Treasury. 
The  gold-mines  have  since  added  an  equal  sum  to  the  wealth  of  the 
world,  and  the  salmon  industry  yielded  $7,500,000  in  six  years,  1884 
to  1890.  It  is  the  most  sparsely  inhabited  part  of  the  United  States, 
averaging  one  inhabitant  to  each  19  square  miles.  Its  lands  were 
never  subject  to  entry,  save  mineral  claims,  until  1898;  it  has  no 
representation  at  Wa.shington  ;  Congreai  refuses  to  provide  a  suitable 
or  efficient  form  of  government ;  there  are  three  military  posts  within 
its  borders,  and  no  telegraphic  communication ;  but  by  the  spirit  of 
the  people  it  gains  slowly,  and  the  last  frontier  is  moving  northward. 

*  See  Harper's  Magazine,  January,  1872. 


40  CLIMATE  OF   ALASKA. 

The  population  of  Alaska  is  classified  xs  follows  in  the  eleventh 
census  (18SK)): 

Whites , 4,:«)3 

Mix>'>l  (Riicsian  and  native)  1,819 

IndiaiiH 23,274 

Moiigoliaiifi 2,287 

All  others 113 

Total 3^798 

The  Indians  are  »^    a  divided  as  follows : 

Kskimo 1.2,784 

Tliiigit 4,739 

Athahaekan 3,441 

Aleut 9«8 

Tsimpsean 951 

Ilyda 891 

Total 23,274 

By  decision  of  the  General  Land  Office,  October  26,  1897,  it  was 
conceded  that  the  nstives,  not  Laving  been  distinctly  exempted,  as  na- 
tives in  the  Treaty  ot  '''.ssion.  have  the  same  rifihts  as  white  citizens 
to  prospect,  locate,  enter  and  receive  patents  for  mineral  lands. 

CLIMATE  OF  SOLTnEASTERN  ALASKA. 

'•  BKiti.iN,  September  .5. — U'e  have  eeen  of  Germany  enongh  to  show  that  its 
climate  is  neither  ho  genial,  nor  its  soil  mi  fertile,  nor  its  rceio'irces  of  forests  and 
.nines  so  "-ich  as  those  of  southern  Alaska."— W.lliam  H.  SewabjI,  Travels 
Arouti'J  tue  World,  Pari  V'l..  chap.  v..  page  708. 

In  cliiuate  and  all  ph-sical  features  southeastern  Alaska  is  a  repeti- 
tion of  soiithern  Norway,  ciijoyine.  however,  a  far  richer  forestation. 
In  latituJe,  confiiutation,  tempci  iture,  rainfall,  and  ocean  curienti!  it  is 
identical.  During  the  thirty-six  years  that  lae  Russians  kept  meteor- 
olOitical  records  at  Sitka  the  mercury  went  below  0°  F,  but  four  times. 
While  Su.  Johu'.s,  Nowfo.indland,  is  bekagiiered  by  icebergs  in  summer 
and  its  harbour  is  froz'  u  solid  in  wiuvor,  Sitka,  10°  N.  of  it,  has  always 
an  open  roadstcai!  <<:[>d  only  the  ends  ol  the  loviger  fiords  are  ever  closed 
by  ice.  '-ilka  I'astit ,  tyinp  17',  or  3  miles,  N.  of  Baiiiioral  Castle  in 
Scotliunl,  lias  a  hijiuer  aveiasre  winter  teni()eraturo  than  the  Iliphland 
hon)e.  i^utka's  mean  temp  'ature  for  the  year  is  43'3  against  Ber- 
gen's 4tTi.  Tiie  ."^now  rarely  lies  on  the  ground  for  any  time  at  sea- 
level,  mist  and  riii?)s  soon  reducing  it  to  .-^lasli,  ns  in  Kentucky  or  the 
Di:jtrict  of  Columbia,  the  isothermal  e<|uals  of  this  region,  '''he  snow- 
line on  the  moiMitains  is  at  2,5fM)  and  3.000  ft.  Hkatiug  is  a  rare 
pleasure  for  Siikan-*,  m\(\  the  Ru.-isian  bishop  toll  Mr.  Seward  how  de- 
lighted he  was  fo  co  ne  and  live  in  "  such  a  nice,  mild  climate." 

The  winter  of  1879 -'80  was  the  most  severe  known  in  the  century; 
3  ft.  of  fnow  remained  on  the  level  for  three  months,  and  the  mercury 
fell  to  —70°,  as  in  Dakota  or  Montana. 


CLIMATE   OF   ALASKA. 


41 


The  mean  temperature  of  the  air  and  of  the  surface  sea-water  and 
the  precipitation  for  each  month  of  the  year  at  Sitka  are  thus  given  by 
the  United  States  Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  in  its  Alaska  "  Coast 
Pilots  "of  1883  and  1891: 


January... 
F'i'uniary.., 

itiarch 

Aori) 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September  . 

October 

November.. 
Deceuibcr.. 


Year. 


Temjwrttun  of  j   T«'.i!p«nture  of 
the  afr.  '  surface  taa-waUr. 


31-4 
32-9 
35-7 
40-8 
470 
52-4 
55-6 
M  9 
PI -5 
',4-0 
38- » 
33-3 


890 
390 
39-5 
420 
465 
480 
49-0 
500 
61 -5 
48-9 
44  4 
41-7 


43'3 


450 


Prwlpltatioa. 


7-35 
6-45 
5-29 
5- 17 
4  13 
3-68 
4' 19 
6-96 
9-66 
11-83 
8  »5 
8-39 


81-69 


Tiie  old  residents  insist  that  the  climate  is  changing;  that  the  sum- 
mers are  wanner  and  drier  than  lornierly  ;  and  that,  allowing  for  the 
different  hours  at  which  Baron  Wrangell  and  his  successors  took  the 
temperature,  the  records  show  three  degrees  increase  of  average  tem- 
perature .-^ince  1835.  The  rapid  retreat  of  all  the  tide-water  glaciers 
during  even  20  years  is  offered  as  a^iother  proof,  and  there  was  only 
one  ot  the  old-at.vle,  pijrpetually  rainy  summers  in  the  decade  1880-'90. 

The  greater  Gull  Stream  of  '.tie  Pacific  and  the  loftier  mountain 
ranges  give  southeast ervi  Alaska  a  greater  rainfall  than  southern  Nor- 
way. Bergen's  aimual  72-25  inches  and  the  Xordtioid's  extreme  78 
inches  are  exceeded  by  Sitka's  annual  HI  inches,  and  Fort  Tongass's 
1 18-30  inches — all  exceeded,  however,  by  Cape  Flattery's  140-9  inches  in 
1885-'86.  There  have  been  wet  seasons  in  Alaska  of  286  and  340 
rainv  days.  This  heavy  precipitation  gives  the  mountains  their  shin- 
ing crowns,  feeds  the  glaciers,  forces  the  luxuriant  vegetation,  brings 
every  leaf  and  twig  to  its  fullest  perfection,  and  keeps  the  toliape  so 
fresh  and  dewy  that  at  times  the  green  sparkles  and  almost  dazzles  one 
with  its  intensity.  Witii  all  the  down-pour  or  drizzl"  of  days,  there  is 
nothing  like  that  soul-piercing,  nmrrowpenctraiiiif;  dampness,  that 
awful  chill  of  the  ocean  that  creeps  into  Atlantic  cities  far  to  south- 
ward, (juns  do  not  rust ;  cigars  and  tobacco  do  not  mould  or  mildew. 
Clothes  dry  under  a  shed  on  tlia  rainiest  days,  even  under  awnings  on 
shipboard  ;  and  the  tourist  finds  that  his  gloves  and  shoes  show  no  re- 
luctance in  being  p-ullcd  on  on  wet  mornings. 

Tliere  is  a  blessed  immunity  from  thunder-storms',  and  the  rare  dis- 
pkys  of  thun<ler  an<l  lightning  in  the  mid.st  of  <■  inter  hail  and  snow- 
storms frighten  the  Indians  greatly.  There  arc  fine  auroral  displays  in 
the  long  winter  nights  ;  but  no  one  remembers  seeing  any  such  electric 
exhibitions  as  enlivened  the  early  years  of  the  century,  when  Langs- 


CLIMATE   OF    ALASKiu 


\r 


dorff  mentions  the  air  being  so  cliarged  with  electricity  that  bhiish 
green  balls  of  lire — St.  Elmo  lights — cianced  on  the  bayonet  tips  of 
the  rauskels  and  the  inetul  head?  of  the  fiagstafTs  on  the  palisade.  In 
this  century  one  great  eirtluiuake  at  Sitka  split  oft  the  front  of  Verslo- 
voi,  another  razed  tlie  citadel,  and  slight  trenibling.s  have  been  felt 
at  times,  notably  during  great  storms.  Two  great  cyclonic  storms 
have  occurred  since  the  transfer  of  the  country.  One  occurred  Ju.<!t 
after  that  ceremony  wlien  Sitka  harbour  was  crowded  with  ships.  All 
dragged  anchors,  two  were  wrecked,  and  the  man-of-war  bearing  the 
U.  S.  Commissioners  home  nearly  foundered  off  Ca{)e  Omnianey. 

The  next  great  hurricane  came  October  26,  1880,  13  years  to  the 
day  afrer  the  transfer  cyclone.  It  was  accompaided  by  heavy  earth- 
quake shocks.  Captain  lieardslee  reported  14  revolving  pales  which 
passed  up  the  coast  during  his  command  at  Sitka,  estray  typhoons  that 
belonged  on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean. 

With  Norway,  Scotland,  and  Ireland  to  prove  the  contrary,  it  is 
often  asserted  that  grain  and  vegetables  cannot  be  grown  in  Alaska. 
Baranof  cleared  15  kitchen  gardens  in  1805  and  ripened  barley  and 
potatoes,  and  common  vegetables,  as  has  iieen  done  every  year  since. 
Fine  grasses  spring  naturally  on  any  clearing;  wild  timothy  and 
coarser  grasses  grow  3  and  4  ft.  high,  ami  clover  thrives  unheeded. 
Vancouver  found  the  natives  cultivating  potatoes  and  a  kind  of  tobacco, 
and  each  farady  had  its  little  plantations  in  sheltered  nooks  where  they 
sowed  their  tubers  like  grain,  and  siathered  them  the  next  winter  or 
spring.  There  were  gardens  on  either  side  of  the  stockades  at  Sitka 
which  provided  fresh  vegetables,  and  hot-house  frames  secured  the 
Russians  many  delicacies. 

In  Uniteil  States  days  residents  have  successfully  raised  radishes,  let- 
tuce, carrots,  onions,  cauliflower,  cabbaL-e,  peas,  turnips,  beets,  parsnips, 
and  celery  ;  and  single  potatoes  have  weighed  1  pound  6  ounces.  Vejie- 
tables  are  raised  every  year  at  Yukon  missions  and  trading-posts.  Uay 
has  been  cured  in  southeastern  Alnska  everj  summer  liince  1805,  and 
by  adopting  Xorwegiun  methods  larger  crops  could  be  better  cured. 

In  Norway  wheal  is  cultivated  as  far  N.  as  04" ;  rye  up  to  the  line  of 
69° ;  barley  and  oats  as  far  N.  as  7t>  ;  apples,  phinis,  and  cherries  to 
64°  ami  65° ;  and  wild  raspberries,  strawberries,  currants,  and  goose- 
berries up  to  the  North  Cape,  71°  10.  The  length  of  the  sr.mmer 
days  compensates  for  the  lo"er  teinpi'rature,  and  there  is  usually  a 
fortni}.'ht  or  more  of  realh  liot  weather  in  the  Sitkan  region  ead-  sum- 
mer— a  fortrdglit  of  hot  days  18  hours  long,  in  1K91,  with  the  mer- 
cury passing  8(l°  every  noon,  and  reaching  93°  on  board  the  U.  S.  S. 
Pinta.  Noiwegians  long  ago  discovered  that  seeds  and  plants  from 
southern  Europe  had  to  be  acclimated  lor  two  or  three  years  before 
yielding  a  good  crop.  Even  niaph -trees  undergo  a  change  when  trans- 
planted from  southern  to  northern  Norwav,  the  ni;:htlfss  days  forcing 
the  heaves  to  an  enormous  dzo,  while  the  tree  itself  is  low  and  stunted, 
and  all  common  wild  tlowcrs  attain  unusual  size  and  colour  in  the 
BOrthlands. 


ALASKA — NATIVE   EACE8. 


43 


THE  NATIVE  RACE  OF  SOUTHEASTERN  ALASKA.-THE  TLINGITS. 

The  1 1  tribes  of  Tlingits  inhabiting  the  coast  and  islands  of  south- 
eastern Alaska  were  roughly  estimated  by  the  Ru8.<ians  as  numbering 
from  25,000  lo  30,000.  General  Halleck's  estimate  of  18C9  gave 
12,000  or  15,000.  The  census  of  1880  enumerated  6,4 S7  Tlingits; 
that  of  1890  but  4,457.  Epidemics  of  small-pox,  black  measlfs,  and 
grippe,  with  the  vices  of  civilization,  have  thus  depleted  their  ranks. 

The  word  Tlingit  is  their  name  for  "  man,"  "  people."  The  Rus- 
sians called  them  Koloschiam,  from  the  Aleut  name  Kalushka  (little 
trougi.),  for  the  hibrette  worn  in  the  lo«er  lip.  There  are  as  many 
separate  traditions  of  a  supernatural  oriain,  a  deluge,  and  a  sole  surviv- 
ing couple  as  there  are  tribes  of  Tlingits.  There  is  no  legend  to  point 
distinctly  to  trans-Pacific  origin,  but  many  tell  of  a  migration  from  the 
S.  E.,      0  Nass  River  country. 

Their  propitiation  of  evil  spirits,  their  shamanism,  their  belief  in 
the  transmigration  of  souls,  tlieir  worshipful  regard  for  the  spirit*  and 
ashes  of  their  ancestors,  are  essentially  Asiatic.  Some  ot  their  myths, 
their  carvings  and  constructions,  and  many  words,  are  Aino;  their 
metliods,  tools,  and  postures  at  work  are  Ja|)anese.  Their  totem-poles 
are  kin  to  the  \ew  Zealand  tiki  and  the  Easter  Island  images  ;  and 
there  are  many  resemblances  to  Maori  and  South  Sea  people.  Their 
sun  worship,  their  Nature- worship,  with  offerings  to  mountains,  winds, 
and  glaciers,  are  nearly  Aztec,  and  the  same  Thunder  Bird  reigns  from 
the  Isthmu*  of  Panama  to  the  end  of  Tlingil  land.  Thej  have  the  same 
dances  and  masks  as  the  Zunis,  the  same  totems  as  the  Ilurons,  Dela- 
wares,  and  Omahas.  They  arc  nearest  to  the  Ilaidas,  but  have  much 
in  common  with  Tsimsians  and  Kwakiutls,  and  are  greatly  superior  to 
the  Salish.  They  tire  totally  different  stock  from  the  inti  ho;  or  Tinneh 
tribes,  of  whom  all  Tlingits  speak  contemptuously  as  Stik  Indians. 

Totvmism  is  the  base  of  their  social  organization,  the  totem  or  tribal 
mark  distinguishing  the  dwelling  and  every  belonging  of  tiiese  people. 
Only  animal  totems  occur,  and  they  live  under  the  protection  of  and 
are  inspired  by  these  guardian  animals,  who  are  often  believed  to  have 
been  the  ancestors  of  the  race.  The  crow  or  raven,  representing 
woman,  the  creative  principle,  and  the  wolf,  the  aggr.ssive  or  fighting 
creature,  are  the  great  totems  of  the  coast,  and  each  are  subdivided 
into  clans.  Men  do  not  marry  women  of  their  own  totent.  The  to- 
temic  is  stronger  than  family  or  tribal  bonds.  Men  often  rlect  indi- 
vidual totems,  usually  the  animal  seen  or  dreamed  of  during  their  lonely 
fasts  in  the  woods  preceding  their  majority  and  iheir  initiation  into  the 
rites  and  great  ceremonies  o*'  the  elan.  Those  elective  totems,  added 
to  the  clan  and  family  totems,  account  for  the  storied  images  on  the 
totem-poles.  The  totem-pole  has  no  religious  signilicanee,  and  is  not 
an  object  of  'dolatrous  worship.  Its  heraldic  designs  and  quarterings 
are  displayed  in  the  same  way  and  for  the  same  reason  that  a  Euro- 
pean parades  his  crest  and  scutcUeuu.    The  Tlingits  understand  the 


44 


ALASKA — NATIVE   RACES. 


spread  eagle  to  be  the  "  Boston  man's  "  totem,  and  the  lion  and  the 
uuicorn  the  two  totems  of  the  "  King  (n'orge  men,"  Their  bears, 
whales,  frogs,  and  wolves  are  no  more  difficult  to  recogidze  in  their 
rigidly  conventional  zed  carvings  than  thegriffina,  dragons,  and y?ei/r-</€- 
liy  of  European  heraldry. 

Frazei's  small  volume,  Totemism,  Edinburgh,  1877,  is  a  textbook, 
and  those  interested  in  pursuing  the  subject  in  its  wide  range  will  find 
it  discussed  in  tlie  following  woiks:  E.  Clodd,  Myths  and  Dreams; 
EncyelopiL'dia  Biitannica  (Frazer),  Totemism  and  Sacrifice;  Sir  John 
Lubbock,  Orijiin  ol  Civilization ;  Andrew  Lang,  Custom  and  Myth ; 
A.  P.  Niblack,  The  Coast  Indians  of  Southern  Alaska  and  Northern 
British  Columbia;  Sayce's  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Early  Lan- 
guages ;  W.  Robei'tson  Smith,  Kinship  and  Marriage  in  Early  Arabia ; 
E.  B.  Tylor,  Anthropologv,  Early  History  of  Mankind. 

Tlingit  speech  has  been  studied  and  vocabularies  made  by  Dixon, 
Marchand,  Lisiansky,  Wrangell,  Veniaminoff,  Furulielm,  Emmons,  and 
Boas,  with  many  notes  of  their  idlotiis  and  constructions,  translations 
and  notations  of  their  songs.  The  common  speech  is  much  currupted 
by  Russian,  English,  and  Chinook.  Lieutenant  Emmons  has  found 
evidences  ol  an  older  language,  a  classic  to  all  Tlingits.  Mr.  Charles 
Walcott  noted  "  the  Japanese  idioms,  constructions,  honorific,  separa- 
tive, and  agglutinative  particles."  Like  the  Javanese,  the  Tlingits  can- 
not pronounce  / ;  like  the  Chinese  at.  i  the  ancient  Mexicans,  ihey  can- 
not pronounce  r.  Dr.  Boas  finds  the  labials  all  absent  from  Tlinpit, 
which  h;i8  no  grammatical  sex  and  no  forms  for  plural.  Captain  Cook 
first  noticed  the  many  terminations  like  the  Aztec  ijrl,  more  marked  in 
Ilaida  ;  and  Dr.  Dawson  employs  in  Ilaida  words  the  Greek  x  t"  ^^^ 
press  a  stronger  palatal  than  Englisli  affords.  Tlingit  is  the  hai'shestof 
all  coast  tongues.  Horatio  Hale  has  noted  that  all  these  haisher  lan- 
gu ipea  lease  at  the  Cohnnbia,  where  the  coast  climate  changes  so  mark- 
edly. The  Northwest  Coast  is  the  rainiest  part  of  the  world  with  a 
climate  of  perprtual  April  or  October,  and  these  peofde  s(  end  their 
lives  in  canoes.  "  Their  pronun(  iation  is  that  of  a  people  whose  vocal 
organs  have  for  genei'alions  been  affected  by  continuous  coughs  and 
catarrhs,  thickening  the  mucous  membrane  aiid  obstructing  the  air- 
passages."*  It  has  been  compared  to  the  Del  Fuegian  speech  of  which 
Darwin  has  said :  "  The  language  of  these  people,  according  to  our  no- 
tions, scarcely  deserves  to  be  called  articulate.  Capiaiti  Cook  has 
compared  it  to  a  man  clearing  his  throat,  but  certainly  no  European 
ever  ch-ared  his  throat  with  so  many  hoarse,  guttural,  and  clicking 
sounds."  Any  one  attemj)ting  to  record  Tlingit  words  by  phonetic 
sign-*  is  baulked  by  sounds  im])ossible  of  imitation,  aspirates  and  gut- 
turals past  conveyance  by  our  signs.  Charles  Warren  Stoddard  has 
called  Tlingit  "a  confusion  of  gutturals  with  a  |)lei<itu(le  of  saliva — 
a  mois,  language  with  a  gurgle  that  approaches  a  gargi",  .  .  .  and  the 
unaccut  tomed  ear  scarcely  recovers  from  the  shock  of  it." 

*  Proceedings  of  the  British  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Sci- 
ence, 1890. 


A 


w 


Tlinyit  Woman. 


1 


ALASKA — NATIVE   BACE8. 


45 


In  common  with  all  Northwest  Coast  people,  the  Tlingits  have  in- 
herited a  magnificent  development  of  the  slioulders,  chest,  and  arms 
from  generations  of  canoe-paddling  ancestors,  but  the  rest  of  the  body 
is  stunted  and  deformed,  and  all  are  bow-legged  and  pigeon-toed, 
shuffling,  shambling,  and  moving  as  awkwardly  as  aquatic  birds  on 
land.  Tlieir  mental  superiority  to  the  Tinneh  of  the  interior  and  the 
plains  tribes  of  the  United  States  may  be  the  result  of  their  exclusive 
fish  iliet.  It  was  never  Tlingit  fashion  to  flatten  or  elongate  the  skull, 
their  mutilations  comprising  tattooing,  and  the  wearing  of  labrettes, 
nose  and  ear  ornaments.  The  Labrette  was  formerly  the  woman's  bailge 
of  age,  rank,  and  condition,  but  is  only  seen  on  older  women  now. 
Young  girls  are  still,  as  formerly,  "brought  out  "  and  introduced  social- 
ly as  any  debutante  among  Caucasians.  The  d<'hut<intc''s  lower  lip  was 
formerly  pierced  and  an  inch-long  copper  or  silver  pin  worn,  until  re- 
placed by  a  small  bone  or  wooden  stud  after  marriage,  which  gradually 
increased  until  dowagers  wore  a  huge  block  or  plug — "  a  wooden  bowl 
without  handles,"  La  P6rouse  says — that  measured  two  or  three  inches 
acro.-^s.  Captain  Cook's  men  called  him  to  see  the  Aleut  who,  having 
removed  the  labrette,  was  sujiposcd  to  have  two  mouths.  Captain 
O'Dowd  told  Langsdorff  of  a  chief's  wife  in  Chatham  Strait  who  could 
conceal  her  whole  face  by  a  dexterous  turn  of  the  lip  holding  an  enor- 
mous labrette. 

TLINOIT  CUSTOMS. 

In  earlier  days  painting  and  tattooing  were  imiversal.  They  paint 
now  only  for  great  dances  and  potlatches,  but  continue  to  black  their 
faces  as  a  summer  protection  from  tan  and  insects.  This  coating  of 
soot  and  seal  oil  has  been  mistakenly  called  a  badge  of  mourning. 
Governor  Swincford  forbade  face-blackening,  and  punish*  d  offenders, 
while  Rangeley  and  Adirondack  fishermen  were  permitted  to  use  tur  oil 
and  fly  ointment ;  a  id  climbers  of  Mt.  Rainier  blacked  their  faces 
upon  reaching  the  snowline. 

There  are  often  fine  exceptions  to  the  regulation  flat,  hea^'y-jawed, 
anil  high-cheeked  faces;  and  women  often  show  strong,  eagle- visages 
of  more  regular  mould.  These  family  arbiters  and  tyrants  are  hardest 
of  bargainers,  and  contemptuous  of  man's  interference.  Marriages 
are  arranged  by  the  elders  for  the  best  advantage  of  the  clan  and 
family,  and  while  woman  is  sui)remo,  all  wealth  and  power  descending 
through  her,  polygamy  is  practised.  Upon  a  man's  death  his  widows 
pass  to  the  next  heir  in  his  mother's  family.  Younger  brothers  and 
nei)liews,  inheriting  such  widows,  may  purchase  freedom  by  blankets. 

The  Tlinyits  have  their  political  societies,  with  honours  as  often  be- 
stowed upon  humble  worth.  All  of  the  totem  contribute  to  the  potlatches 
of  their  chief,  working  and  saving  for  years  to  make  an  extravagant  dis- 
play and  division  of  wealth.  The  potlatch  is  usually  given  at  the  full 
of  the  moon,  and  the  host's  clan  and  totem  do  not  accept  any  gifts. 
The  seating  and  serving  of  the  guests  are  as  precisely  ordered  as  at  a 
court  function,  and  bhuxished  follows  any  oversights.  Hospitalities  are 
returned  in  kind,  and  the  social  ledgers  of  the  totems  regularly  balanced 


46 


ALASKA — NATIVE   EACE9. 


In  early  times  they  were  incessant  dancers;  songs,  chants,  and 
dramatic  representations  accompanied  all  welcomes,  partincs,  feasts, 
fights,  funerals,  and  visits.  Trading  was  not  a  mere  mercenary  trans- 
action when  a  line  of  canoes  advanced,  circled,  and  mano-uvred 
around  a  ship ;  painted  men  in  ceremonial  dress,  powdered  with  the 
eagle-down  of  peace,  chanted  in  chorus,  and  the  chiefs  delivered  reci- 
tatives and  obligatos.  Boston  traders  gave  them  rum,  and  a  deserter 
of  a  whaler's  crew  and  a  discharged  United  States  soldier  have  credit 
for  teaching  iliem  to  distil  hoochinoo,  or  native  drink.  They  have 
many  games  of  cliance,  the  favourite  being  a  crude /««  tan  played  with 
52  cylindrical  sticks  with  different  marks.  The  sticks  are  either 
drawn  and  mateheii,  or  players  guess  the  position,  number,  or  odd  and 
even  of  the  sticks  the  dealer  liMes  under  a  mass  of  cedar  shreds. 
Pools  and  individual  stakes  are  made  and  sticks  cashed  by  the  winners 
by  a  regular  taritf.  The  dealer  chants,  and  the  players  join  in ;  and 
when  all  a  Tlingit's  wives,  canoes,  slaves,  blankets,  and  tows  are  hang- 
ing in  the  balance,  the  whole  lodge  sw  ells  the  frantic  chorus.  Playing- 
cards  are  much  used,  and  in  summer  one  may  find  poker  parties  play- 
ing all  day  on  the  beach  and  utilizing  the  midnight  light.  Their  first 
tokens  of  wealth  were  the  town — curved  copper  shidds  ornamented 
with  totemic  cuttings,  said  to  have  come  originally  from  the  Chilkats, 
and  said  to  be  imitations  of  the  copper  plates  nailed  to  conspicuous 
trees  by  the  first  Russian  discoverers.  A  fow  was  worth  $800  to  $1,000 
by  the  blanket  scale — a  "two  and  a  half  point"  H.  B.  Co.  blanket 
counting  for  iill.50 — and  often  sold  for  ten  slaves.  Iliaqua  shells  were 
retiioj  from  circulation  when  a  Yankee  had  imitations  made  of  porce- 
lair  and  the  Russians  for  a  long  time  gave  a  leather  money.  Coin 
oni_j  came  to  them  after  the  transfer.  Silver  is  highly  valued,  and 
stored  in  bulk  or  beaten  into  ornaments. 

The  whites  Inve  had  to  yield  to  Tliugit  ideas  of  justice  and  to- 
temic laws :  an  eye  for  an  eve,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,  or  a  material  equiv- 
alent, are  strictly  demanded.  A  blanket  indemnity  will  solace  any 
wound  to  pride,  honour,  or  affection,  and  their  logic  follows  every  loss 
and  injury  to  first  causes.  The  Tlingit  who  shot  at  a  decoy  duck 
made  the  decoy  owner  pay  for  the  cartridges  ;  the  otter  hunter, 
rescued  from  a  broken  and  sinking  canoe,  demanded  the  value  of  the 
canoe  when  set  ashore;  the  rel.itives  even  of  a  burglar  made  the 
owner  of  the  stolen  rifle  pay  for  the  burglar  killed  by  its  accidental 
discharge.  White  doctors  pay  for  any  dead  patients  whom  they  have 
treated  ;  and  when  Haronovich  accidentally  .shot  his  own  child,  he  him- 
self had  to  pay  the  Whale  totem,  or  his  wife's  clan,  so  many  hunUred 
blankets,  or  be  killed  himself  to  lialance  the  account. 

In  illness  the  Tlingit  sent  for  his  xfuiman  or  medicine-man,  who, 
continuing  his  fasts  alone  in  the  forest  throughout  life,  continued  to 
receive  inspiration  from  his  guardian  and  familiar  animal  spirits.  In 
frantic  parad(!s  and  dances  about  a  village,  a  shaman  l)it  live  dogs  and 
ate  the  heads  and  tongues  of  frogs,  which  contained  a  potent  medicine. 
He  performed  his  miraculous  euros  imder  the  spell  of  his  special 
totemic  spirit,  and  an  emetic  of  dried  frogs  and  sea-water  gave  him  a 


■«*, 


ALASKA — NATIVE   RACES. 


47 


vision  to  perceive  the  soul  Icavinc  a  man's  body,  ability  to  catch 
and  replace  it,  anil  cast  out  the  evil  spirits  which  had  possessed  the 
patient.  When  the  chant,  dance,  and  hocus-pocus  failed  to  cure,  the 
shaman  denounced  some  one  for  charmin;;  or  bfw  itchin<;  hia  patient, 
and  deinan<led  his  torture  or  death.  Usually  the  infirm  or  the  aged 
poor,  slaves  or  personal  enomios,  wore  dcnounceil  and  subjected  to 
fiendish  tortures.  Captain  K.  C.  Morriman,  U.  S.  \.,  broke  the  power 
of  shamanism  in  the  archipelafro  by  rcpeateil  rescues  of  those  charged 
with  witchcraft,  by  fine  anil  ptmishmcnt  of  tribe  and  shamans,  and 
finally  by  taking  the  shnman.s  on  board  his  ship,  shaving  off  and 
burning  their  long  sacred  hair  and  sending  them  out  bald-headed,  to 
be  met  with  roars  of  Tlingit  laughter.  There  have  been  few  cases  of 
witchcraft  since. 

While  all  other  Tlingits  were  cremated,  so  as  to  make  sure  of  a 
v.-arm  and  comfortable  future,  they  believed  that  the  shaman's  body 
would  not  burn,  and  such  were  buried  in  sitting  posture  in  little  pavil- 
ions in  remote  and  picturesque  spots  surrounded  by  the  blankets, 
tows,  masks,  wands,  rattles,  and  paiaphernalia  of  his  trade.  Shamans' 
graves  have  yielded  richest  treasures  for  ethnolocrical  museums.  Other 
Tlingits  were  cremated  with  elaborate  cereinonii's,  the  wailing,  pyre- 
building,  etc.,  always  conducted  by  people  of  another  totem,  and  the 
ashes  and  bones  stowed  away  in  a  carved  grave-box  or  canoe,  or 
niched  in  mortuary  columns.  Personal  possessions  and  food  for  use 
in  the  spirit-land  were  burii'd  with  the  dead,  and  often  a  slave  was 
despatched  so  as  to  attend  his  master  beyond.  The  missionaries  have 
effe*tually  l)roken  up  the  practice  of  cri'mation,  on  the  grounds  of 
heathenism,  and  inliumation  is  now  praeti-ed.  The  Tlingits  believe 
that  after  death  the  spirits  take  possession  of  the  bodies  of  animals, 
revisit  their  homes,  and  teach  the  mysteries  of  life  to  fasting  youths 
in  the  forest  ilarthquakes  are  caused  by  ghosts,  and  the  aurora 
borealis  is  the  ghost-dance  of  dead  warriors  who  live  in  the  plains 
of  the  sky,  from  which  the  earth  was  cut  loose  and  fell  to  the  sea. 

They  have  their  lucky  and  unlucky  numbers,  their  signs  and  marks 
for  the  propitiation  of  evil.  They  saw  outlines  in  the  constellations,  and 
had  their  names  and  legends  for  these  otter-skins  and  bailers  in  the  sky. 

Their  folk-lore,  myths,  and  traditions  reveal  a  poetry  and  richness  of 
imagination  not  to  be  expected  from  these  stolid  people. 

The  Crow,  in  whom  lives  Yehl,  the  great  spirit  and  creator,  first 
dwelt  on  Nass  Hiver,  where,  having  created  himself  luul  the  world,  he 
turned  two  blades  of  grass  into  the  parent  race.  The  Tlingits  increased 
and  became  a  great  people,  and  spread  far  and  wide.  Suddenly  dark- 
ness came,  and  all  life  stopped.  A  Tlingit  stole  the  sun  and  hid 
it  in  a  box  on  Japonski  Island,  but  the  Crow  found  it,  and,  flying 
off  with  it,  set  it  so  high  in  the  sky  that  none  could  steal  it  again. 
Again  the  Tlingits  increased  and  spread  abroad,  but  after  many  gen- 
erations there  came  a  great  Hood,  and  all  perished  save  two  Tlingits 
who  were  long  tossed  about  on  a  raft,  until  the  crow  appeared  and  car- 
ried this  pair  to  Mt.  Kdgecimibe,  where  they  lived  until  the  waters  fell. 
It  is  related  in  some  versions  that  another  raft  of  people  was  borne 


48 


THE   BOUNDARY    LINE. 


away  to  the  southwcstward  l\v  the  flood  and  that  thev  are  the  parents  of 
the  other  races  of  the  earth.  Then,  a^nin,  it  is  said  that  tiie  two  Hurviv- 
ors  of  the  flood  were  supernatural  creatures,  (jiie  of  whom  descended 
through  the  crater  of  Mt.  Edprecunibe  and  there  stays  to  hold  the  earth 
up  out  of  the  water,  while  the  other  lives  as  the  great  Thunder  Bird 
Ilahtla,  who  dwells  in  the  crater,  the  flapping  of  whose  wings  is  the  thun- 
der and  whose  glances  are  lightning.  Ilahtla  is  personated  by  the  osprey, 
who  rides  the  storms  and  seizes  the  salmon  from  the  waters,  and  hia 
inverted  face  glares  from  ceremonial  blankets  and  carved  bo.xes.  The 
visit  to  he."  V  and  the  stealing  or  killing  of  the  sun  is  common  to  all 
the  N'ortl.  t  iiTi  people,  and  Dr.  Fraz  Hoas  gives  several  variations  of 
it  current  among  the  KwakiutI  and  other  British  Columbian  tribes. 


THE  INTERNATIONAL  BOUNDARY   LINE. 
"Fijh/./our  Forty." 

Bodegay  Quadra  named  the  great  strait  Perrz  Inlet  in  1775,  but 
Vancouver  preferred  that  it  should  be  Captain  Dixon's  Entrance,  as 
named  for  and  by  that  commander  of  the  Queen  Charlotte  in  1787.  It 
has  also  been  known  as  Grmntza  Somid  and  ICi/r/ane  Strait.  It  very 
evenly  divides  the  Northwest  Coast,  and  with  its  prolongations  runs  a 
natural  water  boundary  far  inland. 

At  this  entrance.  COO  miles  N.  of  Boundary  Bay  and  the  torty-ninth 
parallel,  one  re-enters  the  United  States,  the  once  northern  boundary  of 
the  Oregcm  Territory  liccoming  the  southern  boundary  of  Alaska.  Suc- 
ceeding the  Nootka  Convention  of  17i>t>,  the  Northwest  Coast  became 
virgin  soil  o|)en  to  free  settlement  and  trade  by  any  people,  and  three 
nations  claimed  it.  The  Russians  asserted  ownerslii|)  down  to  the 
Columbia,  and  then  withdrew  to  51°,  or  to  the  north  end  of  Vancouver 
Island.  The  British  clai.ued  the  coast  from  the  Columbia  River  to 
55",  and  the  United  States  claimed  all  W.  of  the  Rocky  Mts.  between 
42°  and  54°  40 .  In  1818  the  United  States  and  Great'lbititin  agreed 
to  a  joint  occupancy  of  the  region,  and  in  1819  the  United  States  bought 
Florida  from  Spain,  and  with  it  aetpiired  all  of  Spanish  rights  and 
claims  on  the  coast  N.  of  42''.  By  the  number  of  its  trading  posts  and 
vessels  regulaily  visiting  the  coast,  the  United  States  was  virtually  in 
possession  of  the  region,  but  British  fur-traders  were  pushmg  westward 
from  the  interior. 

The  Emperor  of  Russia,  by  his  ukase  of  1821,  forbidding  all  foreign 
\ossels  from  approaching  within  1(M)  Italian  miles  of  his  possessions  in 
the  North  Pacific,  ])Uiposely  brought  about  the  conventions  of  1824-'26 
to  adjust  the  rival  claims  to  North  American  territory  and  to  regulate 
trade.  By  the  treaty  of  1824  with  the  United  States,  un,d  that  of  1826 
with  (Jreat  Britain,  Russia  agreed  to  54"  4n'  as  the  southern  limit  of 
her  posses^ions,  and  allowed  the  vessels  of  the  other  two  nations  to 
freely  trade  for  a  [)eriod  of  ten  years.  The  useless  and  t:ninhabited 
interior  was  parcelled  out  in  even  thirds — Russia  taking  the  north- 


THE   BOUNDAKY   LINE. 


49 


western  or  Yukon  region,  Enpland  the  Mackenzie  region  and  all  be- 
tween Iludrton  Bay  and  the  Uncky  Mts.,  while  the  Oregon  territory, 
all  W.  of  the  RockieH  and  N.  of  42",  was  claimed  for  the  t'liited  States. 
In  1828  the  joint  occupaiion  of  tlie  Nort Invest  < 'oast  by  the  United 
States  and  (Jreat  Britain  was  indolinitely  extended.  In  1837-'38  socie- 
ties lor  emigrating  to  Oregon  were  formed  in  the  United  States,  and  in 
1843  that  great  waggon  train  with  a  thousand  jx'ople  crossed  from  the 
Missonri  River  to  the  (.'ohimbia,  and  the  country  demanded  the  imme- 
diate settlenu'nt  ol  the  northwestern  boundary.  President  Txler,  in  his 
animal  message  to  Congress  in  I84;i,  cleclared  that  "United  Slates 
rights  appertain  to  all  Itetween  42"  and  64  4o' ".  Slave  interests  were 
then  negotiating  for  Texas,  and,  to  gain  it  without  interlVience,  Calhoun 
was  discus>ing  a  settlement  with  the  British  mini.-ter  with  the  forty- 
ninth  parallel  as  the  Oregon  lioundary,  which  the  latter  rejected,  as  his 
predecessor  had  in  1807  when  JetVerson  had  proposeil  tlie  same  line. 
The  Whigs  and  Henry  Clay  coin  elled  moderotion  and  coniproniise, 
but  the  Democrats  raised  the  war-cry  of  "riftyfoui  Forty,  or  Fight!" 
and  elected  Polk  as  the  champion  of  that  cause.  In  his  inaugural  mes- 
sage President  I'olk  said,  "Our  title  to  the  country  of  Oreg<in  is  clear 
and  uncpiestionable,"  and  in  his  first  message  lie  declared  l'r)r"all  of 
Oregon  or  none."  Yet  through  party  spite  and  bickerings,  the  hatred 
of  Lewis  Cass,  who  led  the  "  Fifty-four  Forty  "  party  in  Congress, 
President  Polk  and  the  Southern  Democrats  retreated  from  their  posi- 
tion, and  on  June  15,  IH4C>,  Secretary  Buchanan  concluded  the  famous 
Oregon  Treaty  with  Minister  I'akenham  on  the  same  terms — the  line  of 
the  forty-ninth  paiailel — as  otlered  by  Calhuun  two  years  before  and 
by  Jetterson  forty  years  before. 

Thomas  II.  Benton  gives  his  own  views  and  defence  of  this  retreat 
from  the  first  i)i)sition  of  hi-  party  in  regard  to  the  Orajou  QiicMiou  in 
his  Thirty  Years  in  th,-"  United  States  Senate.  The  dearest  sumndng 
up  of  tl.c  s'tuation  is  giv  'n  by  Mr.  IJlaine  in  his  Twenty  Years  in  Con- 
gress, vol.  i.,  chap.  iii. ;  aiid  later  (chap,  xiii.)  he  says  :  "  Meanwhile,  .  .  . 
we  lost  thai  vast  tract  on  the  north  known  as  British  Columbia,  the 
possessioti  of  'vhich  after  the  aciiinsitioti  of  Alaska  woidd  have  given 
to  the  United  ;-tates  the  coniinuous  frontage  on  the  Pacific  Ocean,  from 
the  southern  lino  of  Califorida  to  Herintr  Strait." 

By  the  trtati'S  of  1824-':J5  the  limits  of  Russian  possessions  are 
thus  defined,  and  the  same  articles  were  repeated  in  the  Treaty  of  Wash- 
ington of  i8fi7  : 

"  Commencing  from  the  southernmost  point  of  the  island  called 
Prince  of  W'ales  Island,  which  point  lies  in  the  parallel  of  54  degrees 
40  minutes  north  latitude,  and  Ix'tween  the  i:Ust  and  the  lH3d  degree 
of  west  longtitude  (meridian  of  (ireeiiwicii),  the  said  line  shall  ascend 
to  the  north  along  the  chamul  called  Portland  Channel,  as  far  as 
the  point  of  the  continent  where  it  strikes  the  56th  degree  of  north 
latitude;  from  this  last-mentioned  |)o!nt  the  line  of  demarcation  shall 
follow  the  summit  of  the  mountains  situatei'  parallel  to  the  coast  iis  far 
as  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  141st  degree  of  west  longitude  (of 
the  same  meridian);  and  finally,  from  the  said  point  of  intersection, 


50 


THE   BOUNDARY    LINE. 


tii 
hi 


the  siiiil  meritliiin  line  of  the  Ulst  degree,  in  its  prolongation  as  far  as 
the  Fiozi'u  Ocean. 

"IV.  With  lefeienfe  to  the  line  of  demarcation  laid  down  in  the 
preceding  article  it  is  understood — 

"  1.  Tliat  tlie  irilimd  ciilled  I'rincc  of  Wales  Island  Bhall  belong 
wholly  to  Kiissia"  (now   by  tlds  cession,  to  the  I'nited  ."states). 

"2.  Tliat  wlienever  the  siiiiiinit  of  the  inountains  which  extend  in 
a  direction  par.illel  to  tlie  coa.-t  from  tiie  fiCith  degree  of  north  latitude 
to  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  141st  dc^tree  of  west  longitude  shall 
prove  to  be  at  the  distance  of  more  than  ten  marine  leagues  from  the 
ocean,  the  limit  between  the  British  possessions  and  the  line  of  coast 
which  is  to  belong  to  Hus>iii  as  alxtve  n\entioned  (that  is  to  say,  the 
limit  to  the  possessions  ceded  by  this  convention)  shall  be  formed  by  a 
line  parallel  to  the  winding  of  the  coast,  and  which  shall  never  exceed 
the  (iistance  of  ten  marine  leagues  therefrom." 

The  boundary  line  from  Mt.  St.  Elias  to  Portland  Chaimel  has  not 
been  surveyed  nor  determined.  For  the  last  twenty-eight  years  of  Kus- 
sian  ownership  the  "  Thirty-ndle  Strip,"  as  it  was  called,  was  leased  to 
the  Hudson  Hay  Company,  who  paid  an  animal  rental  for  the  territory 
Canada  now  claims  as  partly  her  own. 

The  recent  growth  of  Alaska  and  British  Columbia  has  made  the 
international  boundary  a  (piestion  of  moment  and  interest,  and  "  Fifty- 
four  Forty  "  may  again  become  a  campaign  slogan. 

During  the  Fisheries  Conference  at  Washington  in  1887-'88  an  in- 
formal discussion  of  the  Alaska  and  British  Columbia  boundary  wa« 
conducted  by  Dr.  W.  II.  Dall,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  and  Dr.  G. 
M.  Dawson  of  the  Doiniiuon  (ieological  Survey,  both  scientists  of  first 
repute,  and  both  personally  acquainted  with  the  regions  under  discussion. 
Dr.  Dawson  [)resented  a  new  nuip  showing  the  boundary  line  claimed  by 
his  Goverimient,  as  drawn  by  Major-tieneral  It.  I).  Cameron,  which 
narrows  the  thirty-mile  strip  to  five  ndles  in  width  in  numy  places,  and 
absorbs  it  entii  ely  as  part  of  British  Columbia  in  others.  This  Cameron 
line  leaps  hays  and  iidets ;  gathers  in  all  of  Glacier  Bay,  Lynn  Canal, 
and  Taku  Iidet;  takes  all  of  iheStikine  Hiver,  and,  instead  of  following 
"  along  the  channel  known  as  Portland  Channel,"  it  strikes  to  tide- 
water at  the  head  of  Burroughs's  Bay  and  follows  by  Behm  ('anal  and 
Clarence  Strait  to  Dixon  Enti  ance.  By  this  arrangement,  Revillagigedo, 
Wales,  and  Pearce  Islands  and  the  great  peinnsula  between  Behni  Canal 
and  Portland  Canal,  are  annexed  to  British  Columbia  ;  also  the  islands 
of  the  Gravina  group,  on  one  of  which  Mr.  Duncan's  colony  of 
Metlakahtlans  have  found  refuge — the  island  which  the  United  States 
used  for  a  military  post  ad  then  for  a  custom-house  for  twenty  years, 
and  even  Mary  Island,  where  the  U.  S.  custom-house  now  stands. 
Claiming  all  of  the  Alaska  coast  up  to  5t)°  by  this  arrangement,  the  late 
Sir  John  Robson,  Premier  of  British  Columbia,  suggested  that  the 
United  States  yield  up  the  small  remaining  strip  of  nuiiidand  between 
56"  and  St.  Elias,  for  certain  concessions  in  sealing  matters.  All  Cana- 
dian maps  are  now  drawn  according  to  the  Cameron  line ;  and  the 
Canadians,  who  are  keenly  alive  to  the  advantages  of  possessing  this 


THE   SOUinERN   ISLANDS. 


51 


territory,  have  repentedly  cnlled  tlie  attention  of  tlic  United  Ptntes  to  a 
mutter  wliieii  liaH  sectncd  to  be  reniinlt'd  witli  indillVrcncc  on  our  nide  of 
the  line.*  Tiie  U.  S.  const  iind  (ieodctii'  Survey  lias  niiule  careful  8ur- 
vcvH  of  tlie  Portland  Cannl,   Hflitn   rmnl,  lunl  St.  Klias  region-",  and 


tTATUrr  HlLtt 


ewcedM 


marked  the  croasinj?  of  the  line  of  the  Hist  meridian  on  the  Yukon 
River;  and  late  in  18!)2  Prof.  T.  C.  Mendenhall  was  appointed  commis- 
sioner on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  and  Mr.  W.  h.  King  on  the 
part  of  Canada,  to  consider  and  determine  the  true  line. 

The  Southern  Islands. 

Vancouver  divided  the  island  belt  above  Dixon  Entrance  into  the 
Prince  of  Wales  and  the  George  the  Third  Archipelago*  The 
two  were  as  often  known  as  the  Sitkan  Archipelago,  and  in  1667 

*  Sec  Century  Magazine,  July,  18!tl  :  "The  Disputed  Boundary 
between  Alaska  ami  British  Columbia."  Also  Extra  Senate  Document, 
No.  14tt,  Fiftieth  Congress,  2d  Session,  Report  on  the  Boundary  Line  be- 
tween Alaska  and  British  Columbia,  and  Century  Magazine,  May,  18v>5. 


52 


THE   SOUTHERN   ISLANDS. 


Professor  Davidfoii  snppested  the  present  name  of  tlie  Alexander 
ArchipRliit^u,  in  oomi>liiiient  to  the  Russian  emperor. 

The  inilitiiry  prn^t  of  Fort  Tnngass  was  btiilt  on  an  ialet  between 
Wales  Ixlnml  iind  ilie  mainland,  facing  the  Tlckhonsiti  llnrbnur  of  Kiis- 
sian  trddera,  as*  often  culled  Clement  or  Crescent  City.  The  buikiinps 
were  on  the  bliilT  on  the  X.  si<le  of  the  if^land,  10  miles  di.stant  from 
Fori  S'n.p.iort.  The  garrison  v^as  soon  withdrawn,  and  a  customs  oflicer 
remained  until  1669.  The  rainfall  of  ]18"30  in.  a  year,  and  the  splen- 
did ceaar-trees  8  ft.  in  diameter,  uaade  it  famous. 

The  Tongass,  Tumgass,  Tamgas,  or  Tungiiash  tribe  of  Tlingita 
Wi're  oiilr  the  remnant  of  a  great  people  numbering  BOO  altogether  in 
lHfi9,  and  diminished  to  225  in  1890.  A  swampy  trail  leads  a  half 
mile  across  the  island  from  the  fort  to  their  chief  village,  where  24 
massive  totem-poles  guard  the  semicircle  of  i   ined  lodges. 

A  tablet  on  one  house  r^ads: 

"  TO    THK    MEMORY   OF    KBBETfB, 

HEAJ)  nilEF  OF  THE  TONGASS, 

WHO    DIKD    IN    1880,    AGED    100    YEARS." 

Two  fine  totem-poles  also  record  the  honours  of  this  Neakoot,  who 
assumed  the  name  of  John  Jacob  Aster's  Captain  Ebbetts,  as  a  compli- 
ment to  that  trader. 

There  arc  beautiful  views  around  the  island,  and  a  canoe  can  thread 
myriad  foresl-walled  laric.*,  in  one  of  which  there  is  a  ledge  of  slate 
glittering  with  superb  garnet  cr\8tal3. 

Ya.kconver  named  the  small  sharp  poini  of  the  mainland  for  the 
Right  Hon.  Charles  James  Fox,  and  the  bay  l)€)ond  for  Quadra,  the 
Spanish  commandant  at  Xootka.  Salmon  canneries  were  established 
at  both  places  during  the  salmon  lK>om  of  lHs;}-'84,  but  the  Ca/>f  Fox 
c;uiiK'ry  was  moved  to  Khhik'in,  in  Tougiiss  Narrows,  and  the  boca  de 
Quadra  was  deserted  after  a  few  seasons. 

Mary  Island  Tustorns  District. 

The  first  flag  and  light  seen  on  the  Alaska  coast  are  at  the  U.  S. 
custom  house  on  Mary  Island,  a  green  dot  named  for  the  daughter 
of  Admiral  Wiuslow,  who  cruised  past  it  with  her  father  in  the  U.  S.  S. 
Saj-anw  in  1872.  Tliis  Government  station  was  built  in  1891,  and  one 
may  see  the  white  buildings  frotr)  afar,  or  hear  the  siren  wailing  when 
mists  or  darkness  brood  upon  these  reef  and  rock  strewn  waters.  Siiins 
may  enter  and  clear  a?  Mary  Nland,  and  tlte  deputy  and  a  row-boat  ere 
expect: d  to  exert  a  sufficient  moral  force  to  prevent  the  Juneau  whis- 
ky fleet  from  taking  on  contraband  cargo  anywhere  across  the  British 


THE   SOUTHERN   ISLANDS. 


68 


line  and  scatterinf:^  to  northward  by  myriad  channels.  A  few  years  ago 
there  were  21  mo  r.  Ad  toteni-polec,  many  ruined  houses  and  picturesque 
graves  over  or.  Cat  Mand,  where  a  larj^e  community  used  to  dwell ;  but 
many  of  the  venerable  columns  have  been  cut,  stolen,  burned,  and 
wantonly  defaced. 

The  CraTina  Islands  were  first  seen  and  named  by  Caamano. 
Anuelte,  the  largest  island  of  the  group,  is  17  miles  in  length  and  over 
4  in  width,  and  was  named  for  Mrs.  William  II.  Dall  in  1880.  It  is 
mountainous  tliroughout,  and  Mt.  larnffan,  8,684  ft.  in  height,  retains 
its  snow-cap  throughout  the  year,  and  is  easily  distinguished  from  any 
side. 

J'oinl  Davixon  was  christened  by  Vancouver  in  nonour  of  Alexander 
Davison,  owner  of  the  fleet's  storcship,  and  the  Englishmen  camped  for 
a  night  at  that  place.  Nicholh  Paxx,  separating  Annette  and  Gravina 
I.-ilands,  was  named  for  Captain  II.  E.  NichoUs,  U.  S.  N.,  who  first  sur- 
veyed Its  dangerous  ledges.  He  also  named  Port  Chester,  where  he 
found  the  ruined  lioiiscs  and  decaying  poles  of  a  Tongass  community, 
wboiu  the  L'hilkats  had  massacred  sixty  years  before. 

New  Metlakahtla> 

When  Mr.  Duncan's  people  sought  a  new  home  on  thp  Alaska  side, 
the  site  of  this  deserte<l  village  offered  all  that  the  native  mind  deemed 
essential— a  good  bench  foi'  canoes,  .-loping  land  for  cultivation,  a  good 
salmon  stream  near  by.  water-power  for  a  sawmill,  and  nearness  to  the 
mail  steamer's  route.  It  is  p'raost  the  only  good  canoe  beach  in  the 
region ;  but  the  wind-.' wept  pass,  lillcd  witii  reefs  and  tidal  cur- 
rents, is  the  dread  of  stean:icrs,  and  there  is  but  a  cramped  anchor- 
age a  half  mile  off  shore.  In  bad  weather,  and  whenever  it  is  post-ible, 
the  mail  steamers  leave  their  co'^signments  at  Kivhikau,  the  distribut- 
ing station  in  ToiKjaxx  Xtirroux,  12  miles  distant,  and  tourists  rarely  see 
the  actual  marvel  of  -New  Metiaklitla. 

Mr.  Dimciin  visited  ?'asteni  cities  oi  the  I'liited  States  in  1886-'87, 
and  speedily  enlisted  fiiciulH  to  uid  the  Metlakiilitlans.  Rev.  Henry 
Ward  Bcecher  and  Dr.  Phillips  Brooks  wer»>  especial  champions  of  his 
cause,  but  all  creeds  and  jieoplc  assisted.  Mr.  Duncafi  was  assured  at 
Washington  that  his  people  would  be  protected  in  the  ownership  of 
any  lands  tln'\  might  select,  whenever,  by  the  extension  of  the  general 
land-iaws  to  Ala.^kn,  that  Territory  was  open  to  settlement;  and  the  act 
of  Congress,  March  8,  1K!U,  provided: 

"(Skction  16.)  That,  until  otherwise  provided  by  law,  the  body  of 
land.)  known  as  Annette  Islands,  situated  in  Alexander  Archipelago  in 


54 


THE   SOUTHERN   ISLANDS. 


southeastern  Alaska,  on  the  N.  side  of  Dixon's  Entrance,  be,  and  the 
same  is  hereby,  set  a|)art  us  a  reservation  for  the  use  of  the  Metlakahtla 
I.  dians,  and  those  people  known  as  Mothikahtlans,  wiio  have  recently 
emi^irated  from  Hritifih  ("ohimbia  to  Ahinka,  and  such  otlier  Alaskan 
natives  a*i  niM>  join  th'-m,  to  be  held  and  used  by  them  in  common,  un- 
der such  niies  and  ref;ula»i**ns,  and  -ubject  to  such  restriction?,  as  may 
be  prescribed  frotn  time  to  time  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior." 

Pour  hundr*-*!  M^'tlakaiiflans  crossed  to  Alaska  in  the  spring  of 
1887.  Dedicatorr  services  ^orc  held  on  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Dimcan, 
Auftu-it  7.  IH87  .  the  Unit>*d  waten  flag  was  raised  and  saluted  by  the 
tolling  of  the  new  ohureh-bHI,  and  a  psalm  chanted  l)y  the  people.  The 
old  totem-poles  were  des^troyed,  wrve  two  given  to  the  -1  ^a  Museum, 
and,  apportioning  t!ie  tv»«-iots  *i'>-i)rding  to  their  owti  r  rr'3  of  indi- 
vidual rank  tmA  pre*  «!d<-tiee.  th*-  Xetljffcahtlans  began  building  their 
present  attr*etive  vilbj^e.  The  .-a«  inill  was  burned  in  1*^80,  but  within 
six  weeks  if  was  rebuilt,  and  f■^'A^  new  machinery  was  cutting  6,imiO  ft, 
of  lumber  a  day.  A  second  fire  destroyed  the  mill  in  Sha'-'li,  1892,  but 
it  was  again  rebuilt ;  and  in  January,  1893,  the  mill  and  half  the  settle- 
ment were  burned. 

The  salmon  cannery  ships  from  6,0() )  to  8,000  cases  each  year,  and 
all  the  industries  of  the  old  Metlakahtla  1  ave  been  revived.  They  print 
their  own  newspaper ;  and  the  photof  rapher,  the  silversmiths,  the 
carvers,  and  bark-weavers  do  a  large  bi.siness  on  the  occasional  tour- 
ist days.  The  churcii  and  the  octagonal  school-house,  the  boys'  and 
the  girls'  boarding-home,  Mr.  Duncan's  residence,  the  cannery,  the  saw- 
mill, and  the  stoie,  are  the  poiots  of  interest,  and  on  steamer  days  the 
band  plays  on  a  platform  built  on  the  tall  cedar  stump.  The  Govern- 
ment day-school  relieves  Mr,  Duncan  of  much  of  his  old  work,  and  Dr. 
Bluett  having  volunteered  his  services  to  the  people,  they  have  suit- 
able medical  attendance. 

The  original  Tsimsians,  with  the  Haidas  and  Tlingits  who  have 
joined  them,  have  all  subscribed  to  and  faithfully  lived  up  to  this  code : 

METLAKAHTLA,   ALASKA. 

nKCLARATION    OF    RKSIDENTS. 

We,  thf  people  of  Metlakahtla,  Alaaka,  in  order  to  secure  to  ouradve.s  and 
our  poHterlli/  the  blemn()s  of  a  ('hrlxiian  home,  do  severallif  mtb- 
iicriht.  to  tlf  foQ/iwiv.fj  rules  for  the  reijulaiion  of  our  eondurt  and 
town  (fair*: 

1.  To  reverence  the  .Sabbath,  a-^d  to  refrain  from  all  unnecessary 
secular  work  on  that  day;  to  attend  divine  worship;  to  take  the 
Bible  (or  our  rule  of  faith  ;  to  regard  all  true  Christians  as  our  breth- 
ren ;  and  to  tie  truthful,  honest,  and  industrious. 

2.  To  be  faithful  and  loyal  to  the  Government  and  laws  of  the 
United  States. 


THL    'SOUTHERN   ISLANDS. 


65 


3.  To  render  our  votes  when  called  upon  for  tlie  election  of  the 
Town  Council,  and  to  promptly  obey  the  by-laws  and  orders  imposed 
by  the  said  Couni'il. 

4.  To  attend  to  the  education  of  our  children  and  keep  them  at 
school  as  rei^ularly  as  possible. 

6.  To  totally  abstain  from  all  intoxicants  and  gambling,  and  never 
attend  heathen  festivities  or  countenance  heathen  cu.-^tonis  in  surround- 
ing villages. 

6.  To  strictly  carry  out  all  sanitary  regulations  necessary  for  the 
health  of  the  town. 

7.  To  identify  ourselves  with  the  progress  of  the  settlement,  and  to 
utilize  the  land  we  hold. 

8.  Never  to  alienate,  give  away,  or  sell  our  land,  or  building- 
lots,  or  any  portion  thereof,  to  any  person  or  persons  who  have  not 
subscribed  to  these  rules. 


The  Na-a  Country. 

RcTillagigedo  Island,  first  seen  by  Gr.iy  and  Caamano,  was 
named  by  Vancouver  in  honour  of  the  Conde  de  Revillagigedo,  Viceroy 
of  New  Spain,  wiio  sent  out  the  expeditions  of  Quadra,  Caamano, 
Gdliano,  and  Valdes.  Its  Indian  name  Xa-a,  "  The  country  of  the  dis- 
tant lakes,"  arose  from  tlie  chain  of  pools  which  are  linked  throughout 
its  northern  half.  Measuring  50  miles  from  N.  to  S.  and  25  miles 
across  its  greatest  breadth,  it  is  almost  divided  by  the  long  inlet  named 
for  Captain  James  C.  Carroll,  which,  opening  from  Tonc/anx  Xarrows, 
cuts  to  within  a  couple  of  miles  of  Hehni  Cava',  which  almost  encir- 
cles the  island  with  its  graceful  loop.  The  island  is  mountainous 
throughout,  and  its  deeply  indented  shores  hold  some  beautiful  scenery. 
The  only  settlements  have  been  on  the  west  shores. 

The  cannery  at  K'uhikan,  or  Fish  Creek,  in  Tongass  Narrows,  is 
the  post  office  and  distributing  point  for  the  neighbourhood.  In  August 
this  small  stream  is  packed  with  humpbacked  salmon,  and  by  follow- 
ing the  trail  from  the  beach  for  200  yards  the  tourist  may  see  one 
of  the  oft-described  pools  crowded  from  bank  to  bank  with  salmon, 
and  watch  the  leaping  of  this  saltatory  species.  The  fall  is  some  15  ft. 
above  the  level  of  the  pool  at  low  tide,  and  the  mass  of  salmon  coming 
in  with  the  flood  wait  until  the  waters  rise  their  regular  12  ft.  and 
shorten  the  jump.  Imi)atient  fish  are  Uways  making  the  dash  at  the 
face  of  the  fall,  regardless  of  the  tide,  during  the  weeks  when  the  hump- 
backs are  running.  Kichikan  is  a  centre  of  a  rich  salmon  country,  and 
all  the  waters  sparHu  witli  leai)ing  fi<h  during  their  successive  "  runs." 
PoitU  Hiyijina  was  named  by  Vancouv  "r  for  the  Sefior  Vallenar  de  Hig- 


m 


THE   SOUTHERN   ISLAM>8. 


gins,  the  President  of  Cliile,  and  Clover  Pass  was  discovered  and  sur- 
veyed by  Lieutenant  Richiirdson  Clover,  U.  S.  N.,  while  in  command  of 
the  coast-survey  steamer  Patterson. 

At  Loriiig,  at  the  entrance  of  Naha  Bay,  there  is  a  large  salmon 
cannery  which  has  absorbed  in  the  one  establisnment  several  smaller 
canneries  and  fisheries,  and  packs  the  catch  of  half  a  dozen  streams  of 
the  n  'j^hlioui  hood.  There  is  a  post-office  and  trading-store  ia  connec- 
tion with  it,  and  a  village  of  Tongass  Indians  have  settled  beside  this 
permanent  settlement.  The  wreck  of  the  Ancon  remains  a  conspicuous 
object  on  t'le  rocky  shore,  where  it  was  blown  by  a  williwaw  or  "  vool- 
ly  "  as  it  was  letting  go  from  the  wharf  at  high  tide  on  August  26, 1889. 
The  patsengerb  walked  down  the  "ang-plank  as  the  ship  settled,  and, 
with  all  the  ship's  furnishings  removed  to  the  cannery  loft,  living  there 
for  five  days  until  the  next  steamer  returned  them  to  Port  Townsend. 


THE  PACIFIC  SALMON. 

There  are  five  varieties  of  the  Pacific  salmon  (Onror^i/nrA;  the 
hook-jawed).  The  Pacific  salmon  and  the  Pacific  trout  differ  so  from 
the  Atlantic  species  that  it  is  a  fine  ([uestion  whethei'  there  are  any 
true  salmon  or  trout  on  that  coast,  and  whether  any  game  lawt  can  be 
legally  enforced  under  such  names. 

Onfi>rfii/iu/(u.s  rh'Oiich.i,  or  king  salnior,  is  the  qninnat  of  the  Co- 
lumbia, the  Chinook  and  Taku  faithcr  X.,  but  everywhere  recognized 
a8  the  tiiec  (chief),  /.vciiiging  from  (lit  to  80  pounds  in  the  Stikine,  it 
increases  to  loit  po;jiids  in  tlie  Yukon.  Its  flesh  is  pale,  and  coming  in 
pairs  and  not  in  great  schools,  it  is  not  the  wh  -'e  pack  of  any  one  can- 
nery. 

Oneorhj/nehus  nerka,  the  red  salmon,  is  the  blue-back  of  Oregon, 
the  sockcyc  of  the  Fraser,  and  the  canncr's  favourite  because  of  the 
toughness  and  tlx'  deep  tint  -if  its  flesh.  It  averages  (\  and  10  pounds 
in  weight,  and  visit'  ilic  coast  in  incredible  nuiubei'.s. 

(hKorhiiiiehus  kiKiitrli,  the  silvc:'  s.almoii,  is  the  most  beaiitiful  of 
its  kind  :iu(l  the  most  spiiitcd.  It  alw.ys  chooses  clear  water,  and  leaps 
falls  with  agility.  Its  flesh  is  pale,  ard  is  unfit  foi'  caninng  within  a 
few  hours  after  landing. 

Onror/iijiir/ius  eforlmxrha,  the  humpback,  is  rnost  abimdant  of  the 
species,  and  averages  from  .'i  to  lo  pouiuis.  The  /lalc  flesh  I'ooks  soft  in 
cans  and  is  not  desired  Uiv  packing,  although  of  fine  flavour.  The 
hnni|)back  i>  even  more  phni*''' d  than  the  red  sahmui,  and  can  outjunip 
any  other  species.  Tl.eir  leaps  have  not  been  recorded,  like  that  Dram- 
men  River  salmon  in  Norway  tliat  juiii{)ed  U\  ft.  up  the  face  of  a  fall, 
but  Lieutfuaiu  Nihiack  photographed  one  in  the  act  of  s[>ringing  eight 
feet. 

The  first  run  of  tyees  comes  in  the  early  :pring.  In  June  the  red 
galmon  come  in  by  Dixon  Entrance,  closely  followed  by  the  silver  ealnj- 


THE   SOUTHERN   ISLANDS. 


57 


on.  In  August  the  huinpr)aeks  appear,  and  in  September  there  is  a 
ia.-.t  ru;.  of  ^/wv  to  the  up-stroam  and  mountain  lake  spawninfi-j^rounds. 
The  younf^  salmon  seeks  the  sea  with  tlie  liij;li  water  in  spring,  and  re- 
turn:' at  tl:o  end  of  two  years  to  its  birth])laee. 

The  iiialnia  or  Dolly  Viirden  trout  follow  thr)  salmon  in  from  the 
sea  to  devour  their  eggs,  and  tlie  crudest  taekl.^  biiited  with  salmon 
roe  will  catch  1  a;d  fi  pound  fish  of  the  most  l)caii;jfi!l  colouring. 

There  is  also  the  cut-throat  trout,  with  the  vivin  red  mark  below 
the  gills,  and  the  large  steel  head,  (iairdner  or  rainbow  troat,  so  often 
classed  as  a  salmon,  and  packed  as  s])eckl('<l  salmon  at  many  canneries. 
Prof.  David  S.  Jorda.i,  the  firsi  authority  on  i'acific  coast  fish,  says  that 
any  one  who  can  count  can  tell  the  difference  between  a  salmon  and  a 
trout.  A  I'acific  salmon  has  ''rom  I'A  to  16  rays  in  the  anal  or  last 
lower  fin,  while  a  trout  has  but  !•  or  10  rays.  The  oiigiiia!  Atlantic 
salmon  has  but  10  or  11  rays  in  the  anal  fin. 

Fine  distinction!-  .s  to  parrs,  charrs,  smolts,  .and  grilses  ,'■•  ■  not 
weighed  in  Alaska.  Ti  li  canners  desire  only  an  abundance  of  firm,  ed- 
fleshed  fish. 

The  rivalry  of  Alaska  canneries  ;:ieatly  injured  the  business  on  the 
Columbia.  The  37  canneries  in  Alaska,  representing  an  investment  of 
niv.i-e  than  .■*4,< t(iO,0( »0,  employ  between  .'),imhi  and  fi.OOit  people  and 
1 1 >0  steam- vessels.  The  pack  of  18H1,  amounting  to  78!i,noi»  cases  of 
48  one-pound  tins  each,  so  overstocked  the  market  that  a  combination 
was  formed.  2!t  canneries  were  closed,  an<l  the  ])ack  of  lH9:i  reduced 
to4(»(»,0(Mt  ciwes.  Only  '2  of  the  17  caimeries  in  southeastern  Alaska 
were  operated  that  year,  those  at  Loring  and  ("hilkat.  In  1893  the 
pack  was  limited  to  t)5u,onO  cases. 


SALMON  CANNERIES. 

At  Lonng  the  beat  opportunity  is  alTorded  for  watching  the  can- 
ning of  salu'.on,  which  is  in  ji'Cigress  fro'ii  June  to  Se]iteml)er  by  a 
large  force  of  Chinese  contract  workmen.  The  seining  and  outdoor 
work  are  done  by  wliite  men,  a  lew  In<iians  being  sometimes  e'uployed 
under  them.  While  industrious  to  a  degree,  the  Tlingit  car>  o!  be  de- 
pendeii  Uj)on  ;  an<l  the  native  is  too  apt  to  strike,  to  start  .  '.iia  a  pro- 
longed ]totlatch,  or  go  berrying  or  tishiiig  on  his  own  account,  in  the 
height  of  the  salmon  run.  In  the  skilful  mi'.nijjuhition  of  the  cans  and 
macl'.ines  within  doors,  neither  he  iior  the  white  man  can  approach  the 
automatic  exactness  and  de.'cteiity  of  the  Chinese,  who,  beins;  paid  by  the 
piece,  take  no  account  of  n  day's  working  hours,  .nd  keep  the  ma- 
chinery moving  as  long  as  there  are  fish  in  the  cannery.  The  fish  are 
thrown  from  the  arri\intr  scows  to  a  latticed  floor,  or  loaded  liirectly 
into  the  trucks  and  rolled  into  the  canneiy.  The  cleaner  seiz.  s  a  fish 
and  in  two  seconds  trims  and  cleans  it — beheading,  detailing,  and  rend- 
ing it  with  so  many  -trokes  of  his  long,  thin  ktdfe.  It  is  washed, 
scrajied,  cut  in  sections  the  length  of  a  can,  packed,  soldered,  steauK-tf, 
tested,  vented,  steam<'d  again,  resoldered,  laccpiered,  labelled,  and 
boxed.  The  tin  is  taken  u|)  in  s'leets,  and  an  ingenious  machine 
5 


58 


THE   SOUTTIEBN   ISLANDS. 


punches,  rolls,  and  fits  the  covers  to  the  cnns,  which  roll  down  an 
inclined  gutter  of  melted  solder  which  closes  the  edj^cs.  Tiie  experts 
can  tell,  by  a  tap  of  the  tiiiger,  if  each  can  is  air-ii{^lit.  if  not  her- 
metically closed,  the  contents  rapidly  chanj^e,  hurst  the  cans  in  transit 
"  below,"  or  explode  un|ileasisiitly  in  distant  nwirkcts.  The  Alaska 
canners  are  not  held  to  any  restrictions  as  in  Ihilish  Cohnnbia,  not 
taxed  or  hindered  in  any  way.  They  may  take  any  piece  of  ground 
they  see  fit  in  tracts  of  HJO  acres,  and  rcieive  a  patent  after  paying 
$1.25  an  acre  and  the  cost  of  survey.  There  is  no  tax  ujion  cannery 
boats,  no  limit  to  the  size  of  net-nieshes,  no  close  season,  and  the  salm- 
on inspector,  who  is  supposed  to  prevent  the  placing  of  weirs  and 
traps  in  the  streams,  has  no  vessel  at  his  command  with  which  to  en- 
force the  laws.  The  canneries  drain  the  country  of  their  natural 
wealth;  make  no  permanent  settlements, nor  any  improvements;  sjjend 
almost  nothing  of  their  profits  in  the  Teriitory ;  and  arc  a  fruitful 
BOirce  of  trouble  and  corruption  among  the  native  people. 


The  Rcvillagigedo  Lakes  nud  Bchm  Canal. 

The  famed  beauty  of  Naha  Bay  is  not  apparent  from  Loring. 
There  is  a  fine  waterfall  a  (piarter  of  a  mile  above  the  cannery,  reached 
by  a  trail  through  the  woods.  Two  miles  above  Loring  the  bay  nar- 
rows and  terminates  in  a  cuf-Je-sac,  where  1U,()00  salmon  have  been 
drawn  ashore  from  a  single  cast  of  the  seine.  A  sharp  point  of  land 
separates  this  cove  from  the  first  in  the  chain  of  four  lakes,  and  the 
connecting  stream  is  less  than  10l>  ft.  in  length.  This  L<ikr  Ailnrnhle 
is  more  properly  a  lagoon,  as  it  is  12  ft.  below  high-tide  mark,  and  the 
cascading  stream  empties  and  tills  the  lake  by  turn  and  the  seine  is 
east  at  either  end  of  tliese  rapids. 

Lake  Adorable,  as  it  was  named  in  1885,  is  4  miles  long  and  2 
miles  across,  with  magnificent  mossy  forests  closely  surrounding  it.  It 
glitters  with  leaping  sahnon  all  summer  long,  as  tln^y  en  ss  it  to  nm 
the  gauntlet  of  the  cascading  streiims  that  join  lake  to  lake  Car  into  the 
heart  of  the  island.  Large  salmon  have  several  times  taken  trout-fiies 
from  these  shores  and  wrecked  light  rods,  (ireedy  nialnia  follow  with 
the  salmon,  and  may  always  be  caught.  Roth  black  and  cinnamon 
bears  are  found  on  the  island.  They  are  fi'-st  seen  in  si)ring,  when 
they  come  out  to  feed  upon  the  skunk-cabbage  (Li/sirhton  Kamchathn- 
*m),  which  with  its  huge  tropical  leaves  is  like  a  bamina-tree  half 
buried.  Four  blaciv  bears  have  been  seen  at  once  pawing  salmon 
ashore  from  the  sedges  along  Lake  Adorable,  and  in  the  dense  salmon 
berry  thickets  an.l  along  the  shores  of  the  farther  lakes  they  arc  less 
often  frightened  away  by  man.     The  old  smoke-house  on  the  stream 


THE   SOUTHERN   ISLANDS. 


59 


connecting  the  first  and  second  lakes  lias  several  times  been  used  as  a 
sportsman's  camp,  and  touches  upon  the  most  complete  wilderness, 
while  near  to  a  base  of  supplies.  There  is  a  snmll  red  deer  on  the 
island,  but  the  skin-hunters  threaten  its  early  extermination  in  the 
region,  as  25,000  skins  were  shipped  from  Loring  in  1890.  Wolves 
are  numerous;  geese,  swans,  mallard,  teal,  and  a  so-called  canvas-back 
duck  tlock  by  the  farther  lakes ;  and  eagles  always  tempt  shots  when 
a  sportsman  has  once  seen  the  extjuisitely  fine  and  downy  robes  made 
from  their  breasts. 

Escape  Point,  tit  the  northern  entrance  of  Xaha  Bay,  celebrates 
Vancouver's  escape  from  the  Indians  who  attacked  his  party  in  Trai- 
tor»'  Cove,  3  miles  beyond.  Canoes  had  followed  the  white  men  from 
the  bend  of  Hehm  Canal,  and  "  the  old  vixen,"  with  the  large  labrette  in 
her  lip,  who  steered  and  commanded  the  largest  canoe,  was  bent  on 
hostilities  from  the  start.  While  the  three  boats  were  separated,  the 
vixen  came  alongside  Vancouver's  yawl,  snatched  the  lead-line  and 
made  fast  with  it.  Her  crew  donned  wolf  masks,  jumped  aboard  and 
seized  the  muskets ;  five  canoes  closed  in,  their  crews  shouting  and 
dancing.  The  commanding  virago  was  plainly  exhorting  them  to  an 
attack,  when  Vancouver  gave  the  order  to  fire  with  the  weapons  they 
had  drawn  from  the  arms-chest.  Those  in  the  small  canoes  rolled  out 
and  swam  ashore.  Those  in  the  big  war  canoe  cut  the  line,  and  all 
sprang  to  one  side,  careening  the  canoe  so  that  its  side  shielded  them 
as  they  padilled  away.  Two  of  Vancouver's  men  were  wounded,  and 
befor"  ;licy  could  ])roceed  the  swimmers  climbed  the  sheer  bluft"  and 
hurled  rocks  down  upon  the  boats. 

Yess  Bay,  on  the  mainland  fhore  opposite  Traitors'  ('ore,  is  a 
mere  ship-way  through  the  fore-*;,  navigable  h  large  steamers  for  '1 
miles  to  a  point  where  the  cauner;  -  situated,  imd  accessible  oidy  to 
canoes  beyond  that  jwint.  The  nunow  passage  i~  exceetlingly  pictar- 
esrpie,  and  the  brawling  stream  bv  the  •.•annery  wads  to  a  lake  of  great 
beauty,  where  tin  pounds  of  trout  have  been  lured  by  the  ci»mmonest 
fly  in  two  hours.  The  ('oast  Survey  named  the  place  .)/i/A>n«/(/ Ai//, 
but  the  local  name  having  became  well  est  blished  in  comaerce  before- 
hand, it  is  only  alluded  to  as   Vrmi  Bui/. 

Bi(rroiiphs\s  Jiai/,  at  I  lie  mouth  of  (lie  I'nuk  River,  is  a  deep  bowl  in 
the  mountains  where  Vancouver  fished  in  August,  179--.  and  called  his 
prizes  "hunchbacked  salmon."  "'Th*^  had  little  <it  the  coloin-  and 
nothing  of  the  flavour  of  salmon,  and  they  wer«^  '^ery  insipid  and  indiffer- 


T 


60 


THE   SOUTHERN    ISLANDS. 


«> 


ent  food,"  he  wrote.  The  shores  were  covered  with  deiid  salmon  then,  ns 
they  are  now  at  the  height  of  the  run,  when  the  retreating  tides  strand 
acres  of  fish  on  tlie  ri\er  bars.  A  cannery  was  established  at  Bur- 
roughs's  Hay  in  1885,  and  while  it  was  in  operation  the  mail  steamers 
regularly  made  the  tour  of  Behm  Canal  *.  There  is  placer  gold  in  the 
bars  of  the  Uiiuk  Fiiver,  a  turbid,  glacier-fed  stream,  which  heads  IdO 
miles  inland.  It  is  navigable  for  70  miles  by  canoe,  hut  hunters  of 
the  bear,  mountain  goat,  and  mountain  sheep,  which  abound  in  this 
region,  are  warned  by  the  surveyors  of  dangerous  rapids  and  whirl- 
pools. 

The  mainland  shores  arc  very  abrupt  all  along  Behm  Canal,  the 
way  is  narrow,  and  Commander  Newell,  U.  S.  N.,  who  was  among  the 
first  to  carry  a  large  steamer  around  Kevillagigedo,  declares  the  view 
northward  from  Point  Sykcs  the  finest  in  .southern  Alaska.  The 
landmark  in  that  stretch  id  the  New  FMd>  stone  Rock,  which  rises 
like  a  ruined  vine-dad  tower  250  ft.  from  the  water,  with  a  circumfer- 
ence of  less  than  00  yards  at  the  base.  There  are  a  few  crevices  in 
its  side  to  maintain  the  green  wreaths  and  plumes  that  permanently 
decorate  it,  and  it  could  be  easily  scaled.  Vancouver  named  it  after 
breakfasting  on  its  sundy  base ;  and  in  187!>  the  Coast  Survey  named 
the  Rudifiird  Biuj  and  the  other  points  near  it  for  engineers  and  oth- 
ers connected  with  the  building  of  the  famous  Eddystoue  Light  on  the 
coast  of  England. 

Prince  of  Wales  Island. 

Prince  of  Wales,  the  largest  island  of  the  Alexander  Archipel- 
ago, is  second  in  size  to  Vancouver  Island,  extending  2uo  miles  from 
N.  to  S.,  with  a  breadth  of  20  and  (10  miles.  It  is  a  miniature  conti- 
nent, with  an  island  belt  on  the  ocean  coast  sheltering  a  continuous 
Inside  Passage,  navigable  by  canoes  and  launches.  It  is  mountainous 
throughout ;  cedar  groves  dot  its  shores  ;  fine  salmon  streams  lead  to 
scores  f)f  mountain  lakes,  and  in  climate  it  has  been  called  the  Lan- 
cashire of  the  coast.  Ik'cause  of  it.-*  wealth  of  cedar  and  salmon.  Con- 
gress was  once  asked  to  declare  the  island  a  government  reservation  of 
ship  timber  for  the  use  of  the  navy-yards  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  to 

*  Named  for  Major  IJehm,  commandant  at  the  Russian  port  in  Kam- 
chatka, where  Cook's  ships  wintered  under  Captain  King.  Geoige 
Vancouver  was  miilshipman  on  this  third  and  last  voyage  of  the  great 
navigator,  James  Cook. 


T 


THE   SOUTHERN    I8LAND9. 


61 


lease  the  Halmon-fislierio.s.  The  very  mention  of  Alaska  has  always 
heen  Huffieiont  to  convulse  the  ('on^ress  at  Wiishinjiton  ;  and  although 
the  proponed  reservation  was  larger  than  the  Siiite  of  New  Jersey,  and 
would  have  brought  in  a  eon«iderable  revenue,  the  humorous  legislators 
did  nothing. 

The  yellow  cedar  {CiipremK  iinlhih'TiKiK),  wh'u'h  ranges  from  the 
Queen  Charlotte  Islands  to  Yakutat  is  the  most  valualjle  timl)er  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  The  tree  reaches  a  diameter  of  5  and  8  ft.  and  a 
height  of  I5(t  ft.,  growing  in  patches  and  small  gi'oves,  and  easily 
distinguished  from  the  rigid,  symmetrical  spruces  by  its  darker  foliage, 
its  ragged  and  uneven  limbs  with  their  [)lumy,  willowy,  tasselled  tips. 
It  hiS  a  pale-yellow  colour  and  a  close  fine  grain,  exhaling  a  slight 
resinous  odour  when  fiist  cut.  The  Chiiiese  valued  it  highly,  and  the 
Russians  carried  on  a  large  trade  in  cedar  logs.  \t  ('aiuou  it  was 
made  into  chests  that  jiasscd  as  camphoi-wood,  and  wi.en  ca.'ved  and 
scented  was  palmed  off  as  sandal-wood.  It  is  as  much  tlie  aversion  of 
moths  as  are  the  other  fragrant  cedars.  It  is  the  one  shi[)  timber  of  the 
Pacific  coast,  the  only  wood  which  repels  the  teredo,  and  shius'  tim- 
bers hcve  been  found  to  be  souiul  and  good  after  lying  under  v.  ater  for 
thirty  yeais.  The  few  vcfsels  built  of  yellow  cedar  have  ihe  best 
standing,  since  hulls  of  Oregon  pine  can  only  be  insured  as  A.  No.  1 
for  three  years,  and  the  average  Puget  Sound  pile  is  eaten  through  in 
the  same  time.  One  million  dollais  a  year  is  said  to  be  sjient  in  driv- 
ing and  replacing  piles  in  Puget  Sound  wharves,  while  the  yellow  cedar 
of  Alaska  is  untouched,  and  the  law  forbids  its  exportation.  Small 
lots  of  yellow  cedar  have  been  sold  at  Portland  for  ^75  jjer  thousand 
feet ;  local  cabinet-makers  have  made  much  use  of  it,  and  Hon.  Wil- 
liam II.  Seward  secured  enough  cedar  during  his  visit  to  Alaska  to 
finish  the  great  hall  of  his  Auburn  residence.  The  natives  use  this 
wood  for  canoe  and  house  building,  for  totem-polett  and  all  carved 
work.  The  inner  bark  furnishes  them  with  a  tough  fibre  which  re- 
places ropes  or  thongs,  and,  finely  shredded,  is  woven  into  mats,  sails, 
blankets,  baskets,  and  hats.  They  destroy  countless  tree.s  l)y  this 
girdling,  and  ghosts  of  dead  cedars  show  all  along  shore. 

All  the  S.  and  W.  coast  of  Prince  of  Wales  Island  is  historic  ground. 
At  Cape  Chacon,  or  the  traders'  Musatchie  Nose,  Juan  Perez  landed  in 
1^14,  and  finding  a  mttive  with  a  Russian  gun  hi  his  possession,  marked 
the  line  of  54°  40'  as  the  limit  of  Russian  rule,  and  by  the  same  token 
the  northern  boundary  of  Spanish  possessions. 

The  Ilanrnt/aii  originally  claimed  all  the  ocean  shores,  but  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  or  two  hundred  years  ago  they  were  driven  northward  by 
the  Ilaidas  from  North  Island  of  the  tjuecn  Charlotte  group,  a  baud  of 
pirates  and  freebootors  who  successfully  defied  the  neighliotiringfilies, 
and  terrorized  the  nuiiuland  coast.  At  last  the  other  Ilaidas,  combined 
with  the  Nasa  and  Tsimsiau  warriors,  attacked  North  Island,  routed  the 


* 


G2 


THE   floUTHERN   ISLANDS. 


rencpndes,  and  destroyed  their  villnpes.  The  Hiirvivors  put  to  sea, 
hindt'tl  on  tlie  oi)!)^!!!'  ^hore  of  tht-  t'litrimi'c,  and  in  time  pii.slied  tiieir 
viUaiicH  lip  to  Tk'vali  Strait  and  around  to  Thorne  May,  on  tlie  K.  side 
of  tlio  island.  Tliey  drove  the  Frtnch  fla^  from  tldn  coast  early  in  the 
century  l)y  killing  the  native  otter-iiunters  whom  a  French  fader  had 
leased  fi'oin  the  liussiaii  chief  manager  at  Sitka.  After  indi  >nnifying 
the  Sitkans  for  their  2'-i  dead  relatives  at  !t«2no  each,  the  Frenchman 
had  (i'.i  otter-skins  wortli  if 5  each  to  take  to  Canton.  His  experience 
deterred  his  coinitrynien  from  competing  in  the  pro(ital)lr  )ur-trade  of 
the  Northwest  Coast. 

These  Tleviakans,  Kaigahnees,  or  Prince  of  Wales  Hniilas,  liave 
their  largest  village  at  Ilowkaii)  in  Cordova  IJay,  itehind  Dall  Island. 
The  Uoston  fur-traders  used  to  anchor  near  the  village  in  the  harbour 
which  Captain  Etholin  surveyed  in  1h;j;{,  and  named  Aineric<in  Bin/. 
Ilowkan  is  a  Stikine  word  meaning  "  fallen  stoiu-,"  and  the  original 
hoickan  lies  on  the  beach,  whether  myth  or  meteot'te  none  know. 

The  village  is  rarely  visited  by  mail  steamers,  receiving  its  mail 
and  consignments  by  small  steamer  from  .iAny/  IshiutI  or  Fort  Wnnigell. 
A  Presbyterian  mission  was  estal)lished  at  Ilowkan  in  1H81.  In  18M3, 
wlien  the  writer  first  visited  the  village,  it  was  a  jjlaee  of  totemie 
delight.  Tall  totem-poles  guarded  houses,  ami  skeleton  ruins  of 
houses,  crowded  to  the  water's  edge,  ranged  back  through  the  under- 
brush, and  lined  a  farther  beach  where  graves  ami  ruins  were  en- 
tangled in  a  yoimg  jungle.  Mosses  and  lichens  half  covered  the  faces 
of  the  crows  and  eagles,  grasses  and  ferns  flourished  in  every  crevice 
of  the  carvings,  and  bushes  and  even  young  s])ruce-trees,  1(>  ft.  high, 
grew  on  the  tojts  of  totem-poles.  Skolka,  the  head  chief,  had  a  magnifi- 
cent column  by  his  doorway,  with  two  children  with  storied  hats  above 
his  ancestral  eagle  and  the  image  of  a  bearded  white  man  beneath  the 
bird.  He  rea<l  a  sad  chapter  of  his  family  history  from  this  picture  rec- 
ord. A  wonuin  of  the  eagle  clan  went  to  gather  salmou-i-ggs  one  day, 
and  while  she  cut  fresh  branches  to  lay  in  the  water,  and  filled  her 
baskets,  her  two  children  played.  When  she  was  ready  to  reHirn  she 
called  the  children,  luit  they  ran  and  hid.  She  called  again  and  again, 
but  they  answered  her  from  the  woods  with  the  voices  of  crows,  and 
for  many  moons  the  crows  mocked  her  cries.  It  was  believed  that  tin; 
white  traders  had  stolen  them.  The  lost  ones  never  returned,  and  the 
story  of  the  kidnapped  children  has  fiightene(l  generations  of  little 
eagles.  The  same  twin~  and  trader  ornament  a  pole  in  Kasa-an  Hay, 
and  exhort  those  sinall  Kaigahnees  of  the  eagle  braiul  to  civil  speech 
and  obedience.  Skolka's  next-door  neighbour  in  days  of  yore  was  an 
old  chief,  whose  young  and  i)retty  wife  found  a  big  frog  while  search- 
ing in  her  liege's  locks  one  day.  The  nine  days'  wonder  was  recorded 
in  tiie  next  tolem-pole  erected,  and  there  one  may  still  see  the  old 
chief,  the  frog,  and  tlie  moon-faced  bride  to  prove  the  tale. 

The  Kaigahnees,  like  every  tribe,  have  a  legend  of  a  great  flood  and 


P 


THE    SOUTH KRN    I8LANP8. 


63 


a  niiif^lo  ((ituio  coni'mj;  to  rent  with  two  HurvivorH  on  the  top  of  a  moun- 
tain.  Ill  1Nh;j  one  iint'iciit  claiiTU'*!  to  hiivc  tlie  bark  lopi;  tlmt  held 
the  aiu'hor  of  tl"'  liij;  ciiiioc;  when  it  ii'steil  on  the  liif^ii  iiiountaiii 
l)eiii(i(i  li(iwl<iii) — II  taiisiiiiin  of  j^rcat  power.  Thi'V  have  a  tale  twin 
to  oiii'H  of  liOt's  wife,  t)iit  tlicir  Sodop'  and  (loniorrah  were  on  Forrester 
Isiaiiii,  and  u  l)rothi'f  and  si.-itcr  Hiviii;^  fioiii  a  pestilence  were  both 
turned  to  stone,  because  the  woman  iool<ed  baei<  while  cnwHiiif;  a  river. 
Their  petrified  bodies  still  staiul  in  that  river,  and  their  petrified  lodge 
may  be  seen  on  its  l)aiik. 

When  Wi^f^ins's  storm.s  were  promised  to  all  North  America  in  March, 
188'J,  a  white  man  at  Kasa-an  Hny  read  and  ex|)lained  the  prophecies 
to  the  Kai;^ahiiees.  The  warniiiir  ran  rapidly  from  village  to  village, 
and  at  Howkan  all  lie;;aii  moving  their  things  to  the  high  ground,  and 
were  carrying  up  water  and  provisions  for  one  svhole  afternoon.  They 
believed  that  tiie  promised  tidal  wave  was  coming,  and,  at  the  time  set 
for  the  storm,  began  to  say,  "Victoria  all  gone!"  There  was  a  heavy 
storm  outside  that  .March  night,  and  the  agent  of  the  trading  company, 
returning  from  the  Klin<|uan  tishery  in  a  whale-boat,  wa.s  drowned  by  a 
wave  upsetting  the  boat  as  he  let  go  the  tiller  to  furl  the  sail. 

It  was  at  i'ort  Hazan,  across  iJall  Island,  that  a  Kaigahnee  found 
the  remains  of  Payma>ter  Walker,  who  was  lost  with  the  steamer  George 
S.  Wrijflit,  in  Kebruary,  187;{.  The  loss  of  the  Wiiijhl  was  one  of  the 
tragedies  of  the  sea,  and  is  still  a  current  topic  in  Alaska.  The  steame' 
left  Sitka  im  its  return  trip  to  Portland  with  several  army  otfieers  arJ 
their  families  and  resident.-,  on  board.  It  was  last  seen  at  Cordrva 
Bay,  on  the  south  end  of  I'lince  of  Wales  Island,  and,  in  the  face  of 
warnings,  the  ua|)tain  put  out  to  sea  in  a  heavy  storm,  as  he  was 
hurrying  to  Portland  for  his  weilding.  It  is  supposed  that  the  ship 
foundered,  or  struck  a  rock  on  the  '.^ueen  Charlotte  shore.  The  most 
terrible  anxiety  prevailed  as  week  after  week  went  by  with  no  tidings 
of  the  Wi-'kjIiI^  and  the  feeling  was  intensitied  when  the  rumour  was 
started  that  it  had  been  wrecked  near  a  village  of  Kuergefath  Indians, 
and  that  the  survivors  had  been  tortured  and  put  to  death.  Two  years 
after  the  disajipearance  of  the  Wrhjlit  the  body  of  .Major  Walker  was 
found  in  Port  Ba/.an,  rccogni/ablc  only  by  fragments  of  his  uniform 
that  had  been  held  to  him  by  a  life  preserver.  Other  remains  and  bits 
of  wreckage  were  found  in  the  island  recesses,  and  the  mystery  of  the 
Wri(fhf  was  cleared. 

In  the  Howkan  and  the  Kaigahnee  region  everything  has  been  named 
and  charted  three  and  four  times,  fx/w  Afnzon  itself  was  named  Cape 
Muiioz  by  the  Spaniards,  and  \'ancouver  copied  the  name  incorrectly. 
Dixon  had  named  it  ("a])e  Pitt  before  him,  and  Tebenkofl"  c.illed  it  Cape 
Kaigahnee  afterward.  The  original  village  of  Kaiffahiir^rwus  near  this 
cape,  but  since  its  altandonment  that  name  is  as  often  applied  to  Howkan. 
Kdli/an  is  the  Japanese  word  for  strand  or  seashore,  and  its  use  in  this 
eoimection  give  great  comfort  to  those  who  contend  for  the  Asiatic 
origin  of  these  people.  The  missionaries  named  the  place  Jackson,  and 
the  Post-Otlice  Department  sent  blanks  and  cancelling  stamps  marked 
Haida  Mission.    Captain  Nichols  resisted  all  appeals  to  enter  Jackson  on 


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64 


THE    SOUTHERN   ISLANDS. 


the  Coast  Survey  charts,  and  the  Board  of  Geographic  Xames  made 
Howkan  the  legal  and  odicial  uppellatlon.  This  id  only  one  of  many 
similar  incidents  in  the  naming  of  the  region. 

The  Howkan  Mission  has  a  saw-mill  beyond  American  Bay,  and  the 
Klawak  cannery  and  mill  arc  niched  in  the  far  end  of  Bucarelli  Bay, 
that  picturesque,  cedur-linod  reach  where  Bodega  and  Maurclle  took 
possession  in  the  name  of  Spain  in  1775.  Mail  and  excursion  steamers 
never  visit  this  shore,  and  the  Klawuk  cannery  runs  its  own  schooners  to 
San  Francisco,  and  steam  launches  to  Howkan,  or  Fort  Wrangel,  for 
mails.  A  mission  and  a  Government  school  care  for  the  Hanegas,  who 
inhabit  this  W.  coast,  a  tnoe  quite  as  untamable  for  a  century  as  the 
Kaigahnees.  There  is  an  inside  passage  from  Dixon  Entrance  to  Sumner 
Strait,  and  a  large  cannery  and  saw-mill  at  Shakan,  or  Chican,  off  the 
N.  end  of  Prince  of  Wales.  That  saw-mill  was  doing  a  large  business 
in  cedar  shingles  with  San  Francisco  in  1889,  when  the  zealous  timber 
agent  descended,  a  cargo  was  contiscatcd,  a  large  tine  levied,  and  the 
mill  was  silenced. 

Vancouver  sighted  the  "  very  remarkable  barren,  peaked  mountain  " 
on  the  N.  end  of  Prince  of  Wales,  which  he  named  for  his  friend 
Captain  Calder,  of  the  navy ;  but  other  navigators  briefly  describe  Mt. 
Calder  as  a  volcano,  and  tell  of  its  eruptiou  towards  the  close  of  the  last 
century.  The  northern  and  eastern  shores  of  the  island  down  to  Thome 
Bay  are  claimed  by  the  Stikines,  and  their  first  village  is  in  Rtd  Bay, 
the  Krasnaia  of  the  Russian  traders.  The  dreaded  Eye-opener,  or  Shoo- 
Fty  Roek,  is  off  its  entrance,  and  by  a  sharp  turn  a  ship  runs  into  a 
small  opening  that  narrows  until  it  can  barely  pa-ss.  Beyond  this 
gateway  the  bay  rounds  out  into  a  placid  reach,  with  magnificent  trees 
crowding  to  the  water's  edge.  There  was  a  small  saltery  there  in  1884, 
and  another  at  Salmon  Creek,  E.  of  Red  Bay. 

Kasa-an  Bay,  on  the  E.  coast  of  Prince  of  Wales  Island,  pene- 
trates some  17  miles  in  a  westerly  direction,  and  several  fine  salmon 
streams  empty  into  its  arms  and  inlets.  Skowl's  old  village,  the  original 
Kasa-an,  is  on  iSkowl  Arm,  which  opens  southwardly  near  the  entrance. 

At  the  time  of  Skowl's  death  his  village  held  i7  great  lodges, 
and  the  threescore  ot^m-poles  constituted  the  finest  collection  of  their 
kind  in  Alaska.  This  jhief  of  the  eagle  clan  was  an  autocrat  of  the 
old  school,  ruled  his  people  with  a  rod  of  iron,  held  them  to  the  old 
faiths  and  customs,  and  gave  missionaries  no  welcome.  A  totem-pole 
in  his  village  showed  the  image  of  a  priest,  an  angel,  and  a  book,  and 
was  intended  as  a  derisive  reminder  of  the  efforts  made  to  convert  him. 


THE   SOUTHERN   ISLANDS. 


65 


There  Is  an  interesting  old  graveyard  on  the  N.  shore,  half-way  np  Kasa- 
an  Bay,  near  the  Baronovich  copper^niinc,  which  was  much  ex])h)ited 
twenty  years  ago. 

The  Baronovich  Fkhery  in  in  a  cove  of  Karta  lint/,  at  the  extreme 
end  of  the  opening,  and  was  established  at  the  time  of  the  transfer  by 
a  Russian  trader  who  married  Skowl's  daughter.  It  was  a  headcpiarters 
of  smuggling  operations  during  the  lirst  years  of  Tnitod  States  owner- 
ship of  Alaska,  and  Baronovich  was  one  of  the  first  of  pelagic  sealers 
or  rookery  raiders,  returning  with  it,(M»()  fur-seal  skins  from  a  mysterious 
cruise  in  a  small  schooner  in  the  summer  of  1868.  In  1886  the  customs 
officers  found  over  ,$40,(»(X1  worth  of  prepared  opium  at  this  fishery, 
packed  in  barrels  and  ready  for  shipment  below  as  salt  saltnon.  Since 
that  event  the  fishery  has  been  abandoned,  and  the  catch  of  Kam-nii, 
Tohtoi,  Thome,  and  Stilmon  Bays  (jn  the  E.  coast  of  Prince  of  Wales 
Island,  are  towed  in  scows  to  the  Lorinrf  cannery. 

Choloiondeley  Sound,  which  extends  inland  for  It)  miles,  was 
named  by  Vancouver,  and  iJora  liai/,  its  scenic  boast,  with  Mt.  Eu- 
dora,  3,600  ft.  iiigh  at  its  end,  were  named  for  Mrs.  Richardson  Clover. 
Motra  Sound,  anottier  of  Vancouver's  discoveries,  and  the  northern  arm 
reaching  almost  to  the  base  of  Mt.  Hudora,  is  much  lauded  for  ita  scenic 
combination.  Niblack  anchorage  was  named  for  Lieut.  A.  P.  Niblack, 
U.  S.  N.,  who  conducted  the  surveys  in  this  region  and  gathered  the  ma- 
terial for  his  valuable  work  on  The  Coast  Indians  of  Southern  Alaska 
and  Northern  British  Columbia,  published  as  part  of  the  Report  of  the 
U.  S.  National  Musetuu,  1887-'88.  It  contains  the  fullest  explanation 
of  the  arts,  customs,  and  social  organization  of  these  interesting  iwople. 

This  report,  and  the  other  U.  S.  (iovernment  publications  referred 
to,  cannot  be  purchased,  but  can  be  obtained  for  any  United  States 
citizen  who  makes  proper  application  to  a  Senator  or  Representative 
in  Congress  from  his  State. 


Fort   Wrangell. 

Vancouver's  Dnke  of  i'larence  Strait  is  107  miles  in  length, 
and  at  its  nc»rthern  end  is  .sensibly  discoloured  by  the  fresh  water  of  the 
Slik-itw  River.  Fort  Wrangcll,  on  the  island  of  that  name  off  the 
mouth  of  that  river,  was  the  second  settlement  in  southeastern  Alaska 
after  Sitka,  and  commands  a  broad  iiouutain-walled  harbour  that  lies  80 
miles  in  from  the  open  ocean.  This  gives  it  warmer  and  drier  sum- 
mers and  colder  winters  than  places  on  the  outer  coast,  the  mercury 
often  rising  above  90"  in  July,  and  remaining  above  80"  for  a  fortnight 
at  a  time.  The  winter  average  of  28";j°  leaves  the  harbour  open,  and 
"^xtreme  cold  is  rarely  known.    John  Muir  has  highly  extolled  its  bluuJ, 


r 


66 


THE    SOUTHERN   ISLANDS. 


soothing,  "  poultict'-Iike  atn»oi»iilu'n',"  iind  ^n-iitly  pruJHed  the  mountain 
panoninia  iinroiiud  to  one  wlio  clinilts  tlit*  liill  liehiiid  the  old  fort. 

The  first  Hcttlenient  on  Wranf/tll  Inhiiid  wa«  made  hy  order  of  the 
chief  manager,  Adiiilrui-liaron  Wraiiv;cli  who  sent  the  eaptain-lieiitenant, 
Dionysius  Feodorovieii  Zaremlxi,  down  from  Sitlta,  in  lH',i4,  to  erect  a 
8to<i'kade-poHt,  and  witli  tlic  aid  of  a  corvette  prevent  tlie  iliidmm  Kay 
('ompaiiy  from  re-estal»li.xliin(itradin{^ -posts  <m  tlie  Stikiiie  lliver.  Tiiis 
Jitdoubt  Si.  Dioiii/siwi  was  liiiilt  on  tlie  first  point  of  hind  below  the 
wharf,  and  with  the  hostile  threats  of  the  natives  Zarembo  succeeded 
in  driving  otT  the  Hritish  ship.  This  hindrance  to  the  free  navigation 
of  the  Stiliine  was  a  plain  violation  of  the  Treaty  of  ?8"24,  and  after  five 
years  of  di|)lomatic  controversy  it  was  settled  by  Russia  paying  £2i»,000 
indenmity  and  leasing  all  the  Thirtji-mile  Strip  from  Dixon  Kntrance  to 
Yakutat  to  the  H.  \i.  Co.,  li'st  for  a  term  of  ten  years,  anrl  then  by  re- 
newed leases  until  the  transfer  of  Russian  America  to  the  United 
States.  Sir  (Jeorge  Simjjson  considered  all  the  Hritish  possessions  in  the 
interior,  adjacent  to  tlie  Tliirty-mile  Strip,  as  worthless,  unless  it  were 
leased  to  them.  He  named  the  new  post  Fori  S/ikine,  and  his  men  led 
an  exciting  life  there,  their  lierce  neighbours  attacking  and  besieging 
them,  anil  several  times  cutting  their  f(M)tbridge  and  the  liui.ie  that 
carried  water  to  the  fort.  After  the  discovery  of  gold  nn  the  river  and 
the  infiu.x  of  miners,  fur-trading  languished,  the  river  posts  were  aban- 
doned, and  there  was  little  loss  to  tin;  company  when  its  lease  ended 
with  the  transfer  of  Ru.^siaii  America  to  the  United  States. 

A  new  site  was  chosen  for  the  United  States  military  post  of  Fort 
Wrangell  in  1H()7.  and  the  large  stockade  was  first  garrisoned  by  two 
companies  of  the  Twenty-first  Infantry,  that  remained  until  1870,  when 
the  p«>st  was  abamioned,  the  groinid  and  liuildings  ."old  to  VV.  King 
Lear  for  i?tjt)0.  The  discovery  of  the('a>siar  mines,  at  the  head- waters 
of  the  Stikine,  and  sent  a  tide  of  new  life  into  the  deserted  street,  and  a 
company  of  the  Fourth  Artillery  occui)ied  the  barracks  from  l^'7.5  to  1877, 
when  the  (iovernment  withdrew  its  troops  from  all  posts  in  Alaska. 
During  the  second  occupation  the  tenants  fi.xed  the  lent  of  the  prop- 
erty, and  paid  the  protesting  landlord  a  tenth  of  what  he  might  have 
received  at  that  time.  In  1884  the  Treasury  Department  tcwk  posses- 
sion of  the  buildings,  on  the  ground  that  the  sale  of  1870  was  illegal, 
and  installed  the  deputy-collector  in  the  fort.  Twenty  years  after  Mr. 
Lear's  purchase  of  the  property,  the  Sitka  court  decided  that,  as  the 
original  sale  was  illegal  and  uncimstitutional,  Mr.  Lear  was  entitled  to 
his  #t»(>0  with  interest,  and  the  enune  citebre  was  ended.  As  the  old 
binldings  went  to  ruin,  tbey  lent  Fort  Wrangell  a  certain  interest  and 
picturesqueness.  The  old  tpiarters  are  used  by  the  civil  officers — a 
deputy-collector,  commissioner,  marshal,  postmaster,  and  superintend- 
ent of  education.  During  the  Stikine-Klondike  b<M)m  of  1898  a  com- 
patiy  of  infantry  were  encamped  on  this  parade  ground,  but  want  of 
ground  space  necessitated  the  use  of  the  broad  0.  P.  K.  wharf  for  drill 
and  parade  ground. 

With  the  abandooiucut  of  the  mining  regions  up  the  Stikine,  Fort 


THE   SOUTHERN   ISLANDS. 


67 


Fort 


WrangeH'fl  trade  fJI  to  almost  nothing,  and  the  saw-mill  represented 
its  chief  indtiHtry,  until  the  revival  of  navigation  upon  the  Stikine,  dur- 
ing the  Klondike  excitement  of  1H97  and  1898,  made  it  a  busy  post 
The  Stikines  do  a  large  curio  business  in  the  summer  season,  and  the 
traders'  stores  overflow  with  coarse  carvings,  baskets,  and  native  silver- 
work.  A  few  furs  are  brought  from  the  Stikine  country.  Specimens 
of  dark-gray  mica  slate,  sprinkled  with  large  ahuandite  garnets,  are 
brought  from  a  ledge  kiear  Point  Rothsay  for  sale. 

There  is  an  old  river-boat  on  the  beach,  so  built  over  and  grown 
with  weeds  that  only  the  line  of  the  guards  suggests  its  original  estate. 
This  Rudder  Orange  cleared  .$135,000  each  sea.Hon  its  stern-wheel 
beat  the  Stikine  flood,  and  when  its  machinery  gave  out  beyond  all  re- 
pair, it  was  floated  ashore,  and  was  a  profituhle  venture  as  a  hotel. 
Then  it  fell  to  the  mission  of  a  bakery,  whose  ('hinese  proprietor  gather- 
ing his  kind  about  him  made  it  hcadcjuarters  for  those  Celestials  who 
patiently  worked  abandoned  placers. 

As  late  as  188;}  a  forest  of  totem-poles  rose  by  the  great  lodges  in 
the  Stikines'  villuge.  In  1893  only  a  half  dozen  remained,  and  the 
ehow  pair  guard  a  bay-win<lowed  cottage  which  replaces  the  ancestral 
lodge.  One  of  these  relates  the  legends  of  the  builder's  family,  the 
other  that  of  his  wife.  The  wife's  pole  is  surmounted  by  her  clan- 
totem,  the  eugle.  The  image  of  a  child,  a  beaver,  a  frog,  an  eagle,  a 
frog,  and  a  frog,  continue  to  the  ground.  This  frrg  is  the  crest  of  a 
sub-family,  the  insignia  of  a  medicine-man,  a  pestilence,  a  miraculous 
cure,  big  medicine,  or  as  the  fcMxl  of  the  eagle  naturally  represented 
with  it — all  according  to  a.s  many  interpreters.  The  builder's  pole  is 
covered  with  his  own  image,  the  two-storied  hat  inaicating  two  great 
potlatches  or  degrees  in  greatness.  Ueneath  is  his  own  mother  totem, 
the  crow,  and  at  the  base  of  the  pole  the  eagle,  the  totem  of  his  wife, 
and  hence  of  his  children.  The  finest  of  these  poles  were  destroyed  or 
injured  by  fire  in  1898. 

The  wolf  and  the  whale,  from  two  famous  medicine-men's  grave, 
ornament  the  old  parade-ground. 

Shakcx'K  Grave,  on  the  point  reached  by  a  foot-bridge,  is  an  object 
of  interest.  Shakes  and  hi.-;  rival,  Qualkay,  were  in  evidence  when  Sir 
George  Simpson  visited  Fort  Stikine  in  1841.  Qualkay  long  ago  suc- 
cumbed and  was  set  away  in  charge  of  his  totemic  guardian,  but  Shakes 
cumbered  the  earth  for  another  forty  years,  causing  and  spilling  much 
bad  blood,  foraging  the  lower  coast  to  far  Nisqually,  opposing  the  mission- 
aries, brewing  hoorhitioo,  and  qiiurrelling  with  the  other  village  c-.i  t 
as  long  as  the  breath  was  in  him.  lie  was  a  chief  of  the  old  school, 
like  Skowl,  and  when  he  died  there  was  a  wake  and  a  funeral  that 
paled  all  potlatch  tales  of  old.  His  body  was  laid  out  in  state  trap- 
pings. The  carved  chests  were  piled  high.  There  were  furs  and  blank- 
ets galore ;  lows  past  envious  counting ;  gangs  of  slaves,  and  last  the 
precious  heirloom  and  in.signia  of  his  line — a  stuflfed  grizzly  with  cop- 
per claws  and  eyes,  and  movable  jaws  that  assisted  at  great  dances  and 
ceremonies,  and,  being  possessed  by  the  body  of  a  man,  took  part  in 
theatrical  representatiouB  that  depicted  the  great  family  legends.    In 


68 


THG   STIKtKE  BIVEB. 


dcluge-timc  Shakes'^  anccHto.-H  took  the  bear  into  their  canoe  and  Raved 
him  from  drowning.  Wlien  the  canoe  grounded  on  a  niount4iin,  the 
boar  brought  theni  f(M>d,  and  from  an  alliance  witli  tiiiH  bear  were  de- 
scended all  his  people.  One  bear  column  hIiows  the  f(M)tprintH  of  the 
bear  that  crawled  to  the  top  of  the  tree  whence  he  was  rescued  by 
i^hakes's  ancestors ;  and  wheti  Shakes  was  laid  away  in  a  balconied  pa- 
vilion on  the  Point,  a  l>ear  was  put  on  guard. 

Kadashan  hati  inherited  the  orca-stafF  that  ndes  the  tribe  and  a  tine 
war  canoe.  For  a  sutticient  purse  he  and  a  rival  tyee  will  muster  crews 
of  thirty-two  and  paddle  a  spirited  race.  They  paddle  to  a  chant,  the 
fierce  old  war-song  of  the  "  northern  Indians "  that  spread  terror  on 
the  lower  coast. 

Shualacka  Point  was  the  home  of  another  chief,  who  long  defied 
the  mi.ssionaries'  efforts,  but  who  was  laid  away  in  his  ornamented 
grave  soon  after  Vlah,  the  Christian  Tsiinsian,  accetled  to  the  Sti- 
kines'  re<|uest  'ind  opened  a  school  in  their  midst.  Mr.  Seward  and 
General  Howard  had  vainly  appealed  to  mission  boards,  but  the  letter 
of  a  private  .>toldier  describing  the  pathetic  efforts  of  these  people  to  do 
for  themselves  made  most  impression,  and  in  1877  the  Presbyterian 
Board  sent  Rev.  Sheldon  Jackson  to  investigate.  He  found  the  won- 
derful Clah  teaching  in  a  dance-hall  leased  from  the  miners,  and, 
guarded  by  the  chief  Toyatt,  opening  his  school  with  hymn  and  prayer. 
A  teacher  was  left  for  that  winter,  and  the  next  year  Mrs.  McFarland 
opened  a  girls'  Itoarding-school,  which,  after  its  own  building  was 
burned,  was  united  with  the  Sitka  ociiool.  A  ('atholic  chapel  was  built 
during  garrison  days,  and  receives  periodical  visits  fmm  the  Jesuit 
father  at  Juneau,  but  as  the  Tlingits  have  been  given  in  charge  of  the 
Presbyterian  Board,  the  Roman  church  does  not  attempt  any  evangel- 
ical work  among  them.  A  Methodist  and  a  Presbyterian  church  and 
Government  ()ay  school  are  the  forces  at  work,  and  are  judged  suffi- 
cient and  satisfactory. 

The  pre-emptor  of  the  old  company  gardens  beyond  the  fort  has 
proved  in  these  later  days  that  vegetable  and  poultry  raising  are  more 
certain  and  profitable  ventures  in  Alaska  than  mining.  Cabbages  and 
mangel-wurzel  reach  prodigious  size;  cauliflowers  measure  18  inches 
around ;  and  peas,  beans,  lettuce,  celery,  rhubarb,  and  radishes  thrive. 
This  enthusiastic  planter  believes  that  he  could  have  ripened  wheat 
during  two  dry  summers,  and  perhaps  com.  Wild  timothy  grows  6  ft. 
high  in  old  clearings,  and  clover-heads  arc  twice  the  size  of  Eastern 
clover,  each  blossom  wide-spread,  as  red  and  fragrant  as  a  carnation 
pink. 

The  Stikine  River. 

There  is  a  salmon  cannery  at  Labonchere  Bay,  2  miles  from 
Fort  Wrangell,  on  the  north  point  of  the  island.  A  trail  through  the 
woods  connects  the  two  settlements.  This  spot  is  better  known  aa 
the  Point  Highjield  of  Vancouver,  and  commands  a  view  of  the  mo  h 
of  the  Stikine  River  and  the  high  peaks  surrounding  its  delta. 


THE   8TIKINE   RIVEK. 


69 


Althotigh  Vancouver's  men,  in  reaching  this  point,  were  Burronnded 
by  the  grey-groen  and  turbid  Hood  of  the  ^reat  ntream,  they  did  not  di8> 
cover  it,  tlie  third  great  river  of  the  coast  which  they  almost  entered 
unaware^.  Captain  Cleveland,  of  the  American  sloop  Dragon,  and  Cap- 
tain  Rowan,  of  the  Ehzn,  visited  the  delta  and  learned  of  the  great 
stream  in  175'9.  Hudson  Bay  ('o.  cmploy68  knew  the  head-waters, 
s(K»n  after  their  repulse  by  Zarembo  at  Fort  Dionysius.  Mr.  Robert 
Campbell  tells  of  his  discovery  of  its  sources  in  a  letter  to  Senator  M. 
('.  Butler,  dated  Riding  Mountain  House,  Manitoba,  November  30, 
1881: 

'*  Being  an  employ^  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Co.,  I  was  for  a  series  of 
years  employed  by  it  in  exploring,  trading,  and  extending  the  trade  in 
the  till  then  unknown  part  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  especially  in 
search  of  rivers,  or  sources  of  rivers,  flowing  from  the  west  of  the 
mountains. 

"  In  summer,  1838,  I  ascended  to  and  established  a  trading  post  at 
Dea.se's  Lake  (since  then  a  gold  field),  and  soon  after,  in  July,  I  crossed 
the  mountain  and  came  to  the  head-waters  uf  a  river,  which  with  a 
party  of  two  Indian  boys  and  a  half-breed  I  followed  for  some  time, 
and  came  to  a  tributary  which  we  crossed  on  Terror  Bridge,  a  very 
shaky  structure  over  a  foaming  torrent.  About  16  miles  beyond  the 
bridge  we  came  on  a  ver)'  large  camp  of  Indians  assembled  there  for 
the  double  purpose  of  catching  salmon,  which  abounded  in  the  river, 
and  of  trading  with  the  then  notable  chief  '  Shakes,'  who  ascended 
there  from  Ftirt  Highfield,  a  large  trading  station  of  the  Russians,  es- 
tablished at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  on  the  Pacific  coast.  From  these 
Indians  I  was  glad  to  learn  that  the  name  of  the  river  was  '  Stikene.' 

"  I  gave  notes  to  some  of  the  Indians,  to  be  delivered  at  any  Hudson 
Bay  Co.  post,  relating  the  result  of  my  discovery  thus  far,  and  as  the 
object  of  my  trip  was  now  attained  I  wished  to  retrace  my  ster  s  without 
delay ;  but  it  wa«  with  no  little  difficulty  that  we  got  away  from  the 
camp  of  the  savages.  We  owed  gur  safety  to  the  Nahany  chief,  and 
the  tribe  we  came  first  in  contact  with  va  the  morning.  This  discovery, 
which  made  no  small  noise  at  the  time,  led  in  a  great  measure  to  the 
Hudson  Bay  Co.  leasing  from  the  Russians  a  stretch  of  country  along 
the  coast,  for  purposes  of  trade." 

The  Hudson  Bay  Co.  first  established  Fort  Mum/ord,  60  miles  up 
the  river  from  Fort  Wrangell,  at  the  supposed  Russian  boundary  line, 
and  Fort  Glenora,  126  miles  up  river,  at  the  head  of  canoe  navigation. 
When  the  miners  came  with  steamboats,  fir^i-arms,  and  blasting  powder, 
game  was  frightened  away,  and  the  Indians  found  more  lucrative  pur- 
suits than  hunting  and  trapping.  In  1878  the  company  abandoned  the 
river  |>osts,  the  mines  failed,  and  the  region  relapsed  into  a  wildeiness. 

The  scenery  of  Stah-Kccna,  the  Great  River,  will  revive  the  for- 
tunes of  the  region  when  increasing  tourist  travel  makes  it  better 
known.  Prof.  John  Muir,  who  canoed  its  length  in  1879,  epitomized  its 
finest  reach  as  "  a  Yosemite  100  miles  long."  Three  hundred  Udnggla- 


TO 


THE   8TIKINE   RIVKB. 


dent  drain  directly  into  titc  Stilcino,  and  Prof.  Muir  counted  100  from  liifl 
canoe.  Tiie  river  is  very  sliallow  at  the  moutli,  witli  a  current  running 
6  miles  an  hour,  but  in  the  upper  canons  tiie  current  is  terrific.  Steam- 
ers were  withdrawn  from  the  river  in  188:{,  but  a  relic  continued  to  navi- 
gate until  1891,  although  canoe  travel  was  and  is  still  more  satisfactory 
to  those  who  can  give  a  fortnight  to  the  excursion.  The  dozen  power- 
fully-engined  boats  |>ut  on  the  river  in  the  spring  of  1898  were  nearly  all 
withdrawn  at  the  end  of  three  months.  The  fastest  trips  were  mude  in 
80  houra  up  stream  (tying  up  overnight)  and  9  hount  down  stream. 

Itinerary  of  the  Stiklne  River* 

The  first  object  of  interest  is  the  Popoff,  or  Little  Olarier,  10  miles 
above  Point  Rothsay.  At  the  Big  Bend,  a  few  miles  above,  the  Iikooi 
River  opens  a  valley  southward,  its  course  defined  by  the  sharp  needle 
peaks  of  the  Glacier  Range.  The  natives,  following  the  Iskoot  cafiona 
for  50  miles,  reach  a  table-land  from  which  they  descend  the  Nusa 
River  to  Fort  Simpson.  Pesides  scenery  of  the  wildest  description, 
peaks,  precipices,  and  glaciers  that  defy  Zermatt  climbers,  the  Iskoot 
region  is  a  great  preserve  of  big  game.  Grizzly,  cinnamon,  and  black 
bears,  mountain  goat  and  mountain  sheep,  deer  and  elk,  roam  undis- 
turbed, grouse  abound,  and  mosquitoes  surpass  in  numbers  and  vo- 
racity any  others  of  their  kind.  The  same  condition  as  to  game  ond 
insects  exists  all  along  the  Stikine.  The  International  Boundary  Line, 
as  temporarily  accepted,  is  a  few  miles  beyond  the  Popoff  Olacier,  a 
U  S.  Custom-Housc,  a  Canadian  Custom-House  and  barracks  of  mounted 
police,  collecting  duties  and  preserving  order  on  the  river. 

The  Great,  or  Orlebar  Glacier,  20  miles  above  the  Little  Qla- 
eier,  and  40  miles  from  Fort  Wrangel,  is  often  visited  in  chartered 
steamers,  when  mail  steamers  are  delayed  at  the  latter  port  for  a 
whole  doy,  and  offers  an  interesting  excursion.  The  glocier  descends 
through  a  mountain  gateway  less  than  a  mile  in  width,  and  spreads  out 
in  a  broad,  rounded,  fan  slope  measuring  3  milca  around  its  rim.  A 
tcnninal  moraine  half  a  mile  in  width  lies  between  it  and  the  river,  a 
place  of  sloughs  and  quicksands  cut  by  the  milk-white  Ice  Water 
River,  and  scores  of  streams  throtigh  which  the  pilgrim  wades  to  the 
foot  of  ice-cliffs  rising  abruptly  600  and  700  ft.  The  glacier  slopes 
back  easily  and  disappears  in  fine  curves  behind  mountain  spurs.  Its 
surface  is  much  broken,  but  it  has  not  been  explored  nor  its  motion 
recorded.    Two  young  Russian  officers  once  came  down  frou  Sitk»  to 


THE    STIKINE   RIVER. 


71 


explore  thin  K^acier  to  its  Boiirce,  but  they  never  returned  with  its 
secrcta.  Old  miners  and  river  trndcrH  say  tliat  it  lia.i  Hln-unl<  and  retreated 
niueli  Hiuec  tlitwe  good  old  days  when  "the  hoys,"  with  their  ba^rt  of 
flour  gold,  and  nuggets,  used  to  eongtegate  at  liiuk\  liar  (Choqiiette'n) 
on  the  oppoMite  bank,  and,  while  boilini;  thenmelves  in  the  Hot  Springt 
baths,  eonteinplated  the  great  iee  Htrcani  over  the  way.  A  smaller  gla- 
cier faces  the  (ire<U  O'lurier  on  the  Hot  Springs  sidi",  and  there  is  an 
Indian  tradition  to  the  effect  that  these  two  glaciers  were  once  united, 
and  the  river  ran  through  in  an  arched  tunnel.  To  find  out  whether  it 
led  out  to  the  sea,  the  Indians  determined  to  send  two  of  their  number 
through  the  tunnel,  and  with  fine  Indian  logic  they  chose  the  oldest 
members  of  their  tribe  to  make  the  perilous  voyage  into  the  ice  moun- 
tain, arginng  that  they  might  die  very  soon  anyhow.  The  venerable 
Indians  shot  the  tunnel,  and,  returning  with  the  great  news  of  a  clear 
passage-way  to  the  sea,  were  held  in  the  highest  esteem  forever  after. 

Near  a  betid  in  the  river  known  to  the  miners  as  the  DeviVs  h'lhov, 
the  A/wi  or  Dirt  Ulacier  pours  through  a  defile  and  spreads  along 
the  river  bank  like  a  high  lerrace  for  'A  miles.  Next,  the  Flood  Gla- 
cier descends  from  a  hidden  nn'e.  Every  summer  something  gives  way 
in  the  glacial  fastness  and  a  flood  bursts  out  with  a  roar,  the  river 
rises  several  feet  and  races  with  a  swift  current,  while  the  unknown 
reservoir  empties  itself.  Caution  has  kept  miners  and  Indians  away, 
and  no  scientist  has  investigated  to  see  how  and  where  the  ice  spirits 
build  their  dam.  Beyond  it  is  the  dreaded  Little  Canon,  a  gorge  a 
half  mile  long,  narrowing  to  a  width  of  100  ft.,  where  ascending 
Bteaniboats  struggle  for  nearly  an  hour  before  they  can  emerge  from 
the  frightful  defile.  Steamers  often  tic  up  for  days,  waiting  for  the 
furious  current  to  slacken.  Ne.\t  is  the  Kloochmnn's  or  Woinan^s 
CaHon,  where  the  noble  Stikine,  exl.austed  by  paddling  or  tracking 
his  canoe  through  the  preceding  caiion,  leaves  the  cares  of  its  naviga- 
tion entirely  to  his  wife.  Here  he  crosses  the  backbone  of  the  J/««» 
or  Sawbiick  liaitf/e,  and  here  are  suniiuer  canij>s  by  that  fine  salmon 
stream  the  Clear  wafer.  The  Hiij  JiipjAe,  or  the  Stikine  liapidf,  offer 
the  last  difticulties  for  canoemen,  and  then  the  country  opens  out  into 
more  level  stretches,  and  a  dry  and  wholly  different  climate  causes 
Shakof^s,  Carpcnler^s,  and  Fiddlir'g  liars,  where  men  picked  up  for- 
tunes 30  years  ago,  to  scorch  in  dry  suiiiuier  heats. 

At  Glenora,  R40  ft.  above  the  sea,  steamers  discharge  their  cargoes 
and  start  on  the  wild  sweep  down  the  river.     Canoes  can  ascend  an- 


72 


THE   STIKINE  RIVEH. 


other  12  nilloH  to  the  moutli  of  Tfhfjriiph  Crrfk,  where  the  H>jrveyor« 
decided  that  the  WeHtorn  Union  wiien  ohoiild  ctohh.  and  where  tlic 
Oreat  (.'inlon  of  the  Stikiiie  hepins,  n  roelty  gorpc  Bo  miles  long  (hat 
no  craft  can  tniverne,  but  wliicii  in  winter  ofTers  u  level  ice  hif^liwuy 
and  a  Hnow-shoerV  short  cut  towiirds  Cnssiar. 

The  wa^on  and  railway  route  to  L<ikr  TrMiit  and  the  Yukon  is  de- 
Hcribcd  in  the  chapter  at  the  end  of  the  hook. 


MININ(}  HhXJioNS  OK  TlIK  STIKINK. 

II.  H.  Co.  agents  disclaim  any  previous  knowledge  of  the  existence 
of  gold  along  (lie  Stikine  Kiver,  iind  deny  any  exchange  of  gold  dust 
ounce  for  ounce  ft)r  lead  Indicts  as  willi  the  natives  on  the  Fraser.  In 
1861,  Pierre  riuxiuelte  and  Carpenter  liis  partner  di-eovcred  gold  on  a 
bar  near  Ulenora.  Camps  (piiekly  dotted  the  river's  length,  and  in  1H7J} 
richer  fields  were  discovered  in  the  Cassiar  regions,  at  the  head-waters 
of  the  river,  by  Thihert  and  McCulloch,  two  trappers  who  had  made 
their  way  ovcrliind  from  .Minnesota.  Ten  tiiousand  miners  reached 
the  diggings  in  IH7t,  and  the  yield  was  estimated  at  .'f^odo.tMK).  The 
new  camps  were  Hoo  miles  from  Fort  Wraugell  and  lAO  miles  from 
(ilenora.  The  {'cntre  of  trade  was  at  Lnkctoirn,  on  Dease  Creek,  near 
Dease  Luke.  The  Omineea  region  at  the  head  of  I'eace  and  Skeena 
Rivers  was  deserted.  Four  ocean  steamers  ran  regidarly  from  Vic- 
toria, traiisfcrrhig  to  six  rivci  steamers  at  Fort  Wrangell.  Freights 
froni  tiie  latter  place  to  tin-  mines  ranged  from  $20  to  $«i>  and  $160 
per  ton,  the  last  half  of  the  transit  being  by  puck-mules  or  on  men's 
backs  over  the  roughest  mountain  trails  known.  While  the  mines 
were  paying,  Fort  Wrangell  was  the  winter  re>ort  of  the  miners,  and 
the  liveliest  as  well  as  the  most  important  town  in  Alaska.  Travel 
turned  iidand  in  February,  miners  travelling  by  snow-shoes  and  with 
hand-sleds  on  the  ice  until  well  into  March.  Active  work  began  in 
May,  and  the  freezing  of  the  sluices  in  September  closed  the  season. 
When  the  placers  were  exhausted  and  machinery  was  needed  to  work 
tite  ((uartz  claims,  the  miiu>rs  left.  Chinese  for  a  long  time  worked 
abandoned  river  bars  and  Cassiar  placers. 

Tl)e  returns  of  the  Cassiar  mining  tiistrict,  as  given  by  the  British 
Columbian  Minister  of  .Mines,  sliow  the  ({uick  decrease  in  the  bidlion 
yield : 


YIAR. 

Number  of 
minari. 

8.000 

HOO 

L.'iOO 

1,!»0 

'  1,866 

Oold  |iroduct. 

$1,»>0,000 
KiO.OOO 

.^'i«.^~4 

41I«,H80 

4tt5,300 
21*7.850 
1!>8,900 

YEAR. 

Niiinlwr  of 
mini  n. 



1,000 

Golil  product. 

1874 

i  1882 

$182,800 
119,000 

1876. 

1  1883 

1876 

!  1884 

101,t)00 

1877 

J886 

B0,600 

1878       

1  1886 

68,010 

1879 

j  1887 

00,485 

itwn 

1881 

14,880,009 

m 


BUMNER   STRAIT   TO   PRINC^:   FKKDERICK    SOUND.       78 

TIfK  INTKHNATIONAL  FJOINDAHY  LINK  ON  THE  8TIKINE. 

Till'  leasing  of  tin;  Tliirty mile  Strip  to  the  II.  B.  Co.  did  away  with 
the  necessity  of  |»ieei.-*ely  iimrkiiif;  the  houiidiiry  line  on  the  river,  and 
the  Russians  felt  no  eoiiciirn  in  the  nititter  until  the  ^old  discoveries  of 
18A2.  It  was  provided  in  the  Kussian  American  Company's  lease  that 
all  niincriil  lands  should  belon;^  to  the  crow  n  ;  and  the  Czar,  who  had 
bet'ii  brooding;  much  over  the  mineral  possibilities  of  his  American 
province,  ordered  Adndral  I'opoflT  to  send  a  corvette  from  Japan  to  sec 
if  the  Ilritish  miners  were  cm  Russian  soil.  Prof.  William  P.  lilakc, 
the  gcolopst,  acconipunied  Captain  Hassar<;uinc  on  the  Rymla  from 
Hakodate  in  IHtt;{,  and  his  report,  with  the  Russian  oftieers' maps,  were 
the  first  authentic  p-o^rraphic  and  geido^ic  information.  Since  their 
survey  five  different  jilaces  have  been  designated  as  the  boundary, 
ranginf;  from  the  Litlle  (Jlaeier  to  the  crossing  of  the  Sawback  Range. 
The  report  of  the  IJuwson-McConnell  survey  of  the  river  is  included  in 
the  Annual  Rei>ort  of  the  (Jeolot;ical  Survey  of  Canada  for  1887.  The 
rejiort  of  the  Special  V.  S.  Treasury  Agent,  W.  (J.  Morris,  in  Extra 
Senate  I»(jeument  No.  59 — Forty-fifth  Congress,  third  session,  gives  a 
full  account  of  the  attempts  to  determine  some  limit  during  Cassiar 
days  and  the  necessity  for  some  settlement  of  the  question. 


From  Sumner  Strait  to  Prince  Frederick  Sound  via 
Wrangell  Narrows. 

Namiicr  Strait  extends  80  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Stikine 
River  to  the  open  ocean,  and  on  its  X.  shore,  19  miles  from  Fort 
Wrangell,  a  narrow  river  of  the  sea  leads  to  Prince  Frederick 
Bound,  the  next  great  transverse  channel  in  the  archipelago.  Wran- 
gell 8trait,  more  commonly  known  as  Wrangell  Narrows,  is  19 
miles  in  length,  at  times  not  100  yards  in  width,  and  in  the  course  of 
its  windings  presents  features  that  entitle  it  to  being  one  of  the  most 
famous  landscape  channels  on  the  regular  tourist  route.  Vancouver's 
men  entered  its  mouth,  but,  believing  it  another  iidet,  turned  back.  It 
was  long  considered  navigable  only  for  light-draught  vessels  at  the 
highest  tide,  and  Covernraent  transports  went  outside  from  Fort 
Wrangell  to  Sitka,  until  the  perils  of  Cape  Ommanetf,  the  fogs, 
storms,  and  currents  of  the  ocean  induced  Captain  R.  H.  Meade  to  8ur> 
Tey  a  way  for  the  U.  S.  S.  Saffhiuw,  in  1869.  Captain  J.  B.  Coghlan, 
U.  S.  N.,  voluntarily  surveyed  and  buoyed  the  channel  in  1884, 


74      aUMNEK   STRAIT   TO   PRINCE   fRKDERICK    SOUND. 


I.  I 


li 


later  the  Cuast  Survey  made  HoundingH.  The  tender  of  the  Thirteenth 
LighthoiiHc  DiHtriet,  which  iiieludeH  all  of  the  Tnited  States  fthorea  be- 
tween the  Columbia  River  and  Citpc  Spencer,  inflpecta  and  replaces  the 
buoys  each  suninicr. 

The  tourist  should  not  miss  any  part  of  this  scenic  passage ;  the 
near  diores,  the  forentcd  heights,  and  the  magnificent  range  of  peaks 
around  the  Stikines  delta,  coinpoHing  some  of  the  noblest  lundscupes  he 
will  see.  The  sunset  effects  in  the  broad  channels  at  either  end  are 
renowned,  and  the  |M)HsesHor  of  a  Claude  Lorraine  glass  is  the  most 
fortunate  of  tourists.  He  who  has  seen  the  sunrise  lights  in  the  nar- 
rows has  seen  the  best  of  the  marvellous  atmospheric  effects  and  colour 
displays  the  matchless  coast  can  offer.  It  is  a  place  of  '  "sort  for 
eagles,  whose  nests  may  be  seen  in  many  tree-tops,  and  is  a  nursery 
for  young  gulls  who  float  like  myriad  tufts  of  down  in  the  still  reaches. 
A  hedge  of  living  green  rises  from  the  water' .««  edge,  every  spruce  twig 
festooned  with  paler  green  mosses.  At  low  tide,  broad  bands  of 
russet  sea-weed  {alg(B)  frame  the  islets  and  border  the  shores,  and 
fronds,  stems,  and  orange  heads  of  the  giant  kelp  float  in  the  intensely 
green  waters.  The  tides  rushing  in  from  either  end  meet  off  t^nger 
Pointy  whose  two  red  spar  buoys  are  prominent  in  the  exciting  naviga- 
tion. The  tide-fall  varies  from  14  to  23  ft.,  and  salmon,  entering  with 
the  tide,  turn  aside  at  the  red  spar  buoys,  clear  an  islet,  manoeuvre  to 
the  foot  of  a  fall,  leap  its  8  ft.  at  high  tide,  and  swim  to  a  mountain 
lake. 

Along  Prince  Frederick  Sound. 

Prince  Frederick  Sound  won  its  name  from  the  meeting  of 
^Vhidbey  and  Johnstone  on  its  shores  on  the  birthday  of  U.  R.  H. 
Frederick,  Duke  of  York,  in  1794.  Vancouver  lay  ut  anchor  at  the 
time  in  Port  Conclusion^  just  within  Cape  Ommaney,  while  these  two 
lieutenants  made  their  final  search  for  some  opening  on  the  mainland 
coast.  Landing  on  the  Kupreanoff  shore,  they  took  formal  possession 
of  the  country,  and  dealt  out  doultle  grog  to  their  men.  This  ended 
the  actual  exploration,  the  fruitless  search  for  the  mythical  straits  of 
Anian,  and  "  with  no  small  portion  of  facetious  mirth  "  they  remem- 
bered that  they  had  sailed  from  England  on  the  1st  day  of  April  to 
find  the  Northwest  Passage.  These  lieutenants  made  plain  to  their 
chief  the  "  uncommonly  awful "  and  "  horribly  magnifeent "  character 
of  the  scenery  along  the  Prince  Frederick  shore ;  and  Vancouver  began 
the  lavish  use  of  adjectives  which  is  in  vor^ie  in  Alaskan  narratives  to^]a} . 


•c 
i 


StIMNEK   STRAIT   TO   PRINCE    FREDERICK   SOUND.      75 


I: 
•c 

i 


The  Dei'iVs  TTiumh,  a  dark  spire  rising  1,600  ft.  from  the  rim  of 
an  amphitheatre  7,000  ft.  above  the  sea,  was  named  by  Captain  Meade 
because  of  its  resemblance  to  a  similar  tliumb  or  monolith  on  the 
Greenland  coa.st.  This  great  landmark  shows  from  the  upper  half  of 
Wrangell  Xarrows,  and  looms  from  evory  r|uarter  as  the  ship  boxes  the 
compass  in  its  varied  course.  It  is  a  finger-board  to  the  touri.xt's  first 
Alankan  glacier  which  is  a  prominent  feature  in  the  long  panorama  along 
the  N.  wall  of  I'rince  Frederick  Sound.  This  glacier,  named  Patterson 
for  the  late  Carlile  Pat.erson,  ''lief  of  the  Coast  Survey,  pours  over 
and  down  a  great  slope,  showing  a  beautifully  blue  and  rumpled  front. 
In  Vancouver's  time  it  dropped  icebergs  from  the  cliffs  to  the  water. 
A  fine  waterfall  decorates  the  front  of  Jlorn  Cliffs  at  the  foot  of  the 
glacier. 

The  Thander  Bay  Glacier. 

The  first  tide-water  glacier  on  the  coast,  latitude  56°  50'  N.,  is 
hidden  at  the  end  of  Ilutli  *  {Thunder)  Bai/,  and  sends  out  the  myriad 
bergs  that  sparkle  along  the  sound.  It  is  pictures(iucly  set,  debouch- 
ing grandly  from  a  steep  caiion  cutting  at  a  right  angle  from  the  head  of 
the  bay,  and  the  walls  are  forested  clo.ie  to  the  glacier's  edge.  The  J/ufli 
is  a  pure  white,  deeply  crevassed  ice-stream  half  a  mile  in  width ;  and 
the  ice-cliffs,  rising  100  and  200  ft.  above  the  waters,  are  always  top- 
pling and  crashing  with  the  glacier's  rapid  advance.  The  bay  is  seldom 
navigable,  because  of  the  ice-tloes,  which  ar"  either  packed  solidly  or 
whirling  with  the  tides.  San  Francisco  ice-ships  loaded  from  this  gla- 
cier as  early  as  1853,  and  halibut  schooners  often  put  into  the  sound 
for  ice  to  pack  their  catch.  Lying  at  5<)°  50  X.  latitude,  it  shows  all 
the  features  of  a  Greenland  glacier,  but  its  wonders  were  unheralded 
until  John  Muir  visited  it  in  1879.  The  Stikiues  claim  to  remember  a 
time  when  the  glacier  reached  nearly  to  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  and  Van- 
couver's description  supports  them. 

GL.VCIAL  TIIEOUY  OF  THE  N.\TIVES. 

The  Stikines,  heariTig  tiie  mysterious  roars  and  crashes  from  within 
this  bay,  believed  it  the  home  of  the  Thunder  Bird,  and  Hutli's  rough 
syllables  stand  for  that  mythical  creature,  the  flapping  of  whose  wings 
causes  the  rolling  noises  heard.  All  Tliiigits  believe  that  in  the  begin- 
ning the  mountains  were  living  crtatures,  grandly  embodied  spirits, 
wham  they  Jong  worshipped.     The  glaciers  are  the  children  of  the 

*  Since  named  by  the  Coast  Survey  Le  Conte  Bay  and  Le  Conte 
Glacier. 


T6      8UMNEB   STRAIT   TO   PRINCE   FREDERICK   SOUND. 


mountains,  and  these  parents  hold  them  in  their  arms,  dip  their  feet  in 
the  sea,  cover  them  with  deep  snows  in  the  winter,  and  scatter  earth 
and  rociis  over  them  to  ward  off  the  summer  sun.  iSiUh  is  their  gen- 
eral name  for  ice,  and  its  wiiispered  sibilants  suggest  the  Tlingits' 
horror  of  cold,  even  their  dull  imaginations  conceiving  a  hell  of  ice — a 
place  of  everlasting  cold  aa  the  future  state  of  those  buried  in  the 
ground  rather  than  cremated.  Sitih  too  Yehk  is  their  ice  spirit,  an 
invisible  power  of  evil,  whose  chill  breath  is  death,  who  manifests 
himself  in  the  keen,  peculiur  wind  blowing  over  glacial  reaches  ;  whose 
voice  is  heard  in  the  angry  roar  of  falling  bergs,  and  in  the  hiss,  the 
crackle,  and  tinkle  of  singing  ice-floes.  He  hurls  down  bergs  in  his 
wrath,  he  tosses  them  to  and  fro,  cru.shes  canoes,  and  washes  the  land 
with  great  wavc^  When  the  ice-wind  dies  away  and  the  glacier's  front 
is  still,  Sitth  too  Vchk  sleeps  or  roams  under  ice  labyrinths,  planning 
further  destruction.  The  natives  speak  in  whispers,  for  fear  of  rousing 
or  offending  thi-s  evil  one,  and  refn.in  from  striking  his  subjects — the 
icebergs — with  their  canoe-paddles.  When  they  must  make  a  journey 
across  a  glacier,  they  implore  the  mercy  of  (SmA  too  Yehk  with  much 
big  medicine  and  incantations,  speak  softly,  tread  lightly,  nnd  neither 
defile  nor  offend  it  with  crumb  or  odour  of  their  food.  The  hair-seals 
are  the  children  of  the  glacier,  and  proof  again.st  all  this  mii,::ic.  They 
may  ride  on  the  ice-cakes  with  impimity,  and  in  under  the  Ilutli's  and 
Klumma  Gutta's  (Taku's)  front  the  man-faced  seals  live,  terrible 
creatures  whose  spell  can  only  be  broken  by  one's  pouring  some  fresh 
water  into  the  sea. 

All  the  flats  between  Hutli  and  Point  Highfield  are  visited  by  flocks 
of  ducks  that  offer  sportsmen  unrivalled  opportunities. 

The  uiaird  Glacier  shows  its  upper  slopes  just  west  of  the  Patterson 
Glacier,  but  the  finer  view  of  its  full  front  and  long  reaches  is  obtained 
from  Thomas  Bay,  which,  commanding  views  of  other  glaciers,  of 
waterfalls  and  splendid  cliffs,  has  been  much  extolled  as  the  scenic  gem 
of  the  sound. 

Cape  Fanshawe  is  the  great  landmark  of  the  sound,  a  storm- 
king  and  cloud-compeller  that,  fronting  to  southwestward,  gathers  to  it 
all  the  storms  that  drift  and  draught  in  from  Cape  Ommaney.  Canoes 
are  storm-bound  for  weeks,  and  ships  labour  heavily  to  round  this 
promontory  when  the  great  winter  winds  blow  ;  but  in  summer  the 
waters  ripple  away  to  clear  emerald  and  pearly  reaches.  The  sound  is  a 
favourite  breeding-ground  of  whales,  and  in  these  safe,  deep  waters  one 
may  see  the  leviathans  frisking,  and  infant  spouters  taking  their  first 
lessons.  They  were  once  snapped  in  the  act  by  Lieutenant  Niblack, 
whose  ready  camera  bad  already  caught  the  flying  eagle  and  the  leaping 
salmon. 


BTIMNER   STRAIT   TO   PRINCE   FREDERICK   SOUND.      77 


Kapreanoif  and  Knin  Islands,  The  Land  of  Kakes. 

Less  is  known  of  Knpreanofl*  and  Knin  Islands — the  Land  of 
Kakes — than  of  the  others  of  the  archipelago,  because  of  the  bad 
name  of  that  tribe  inhabiting  them.  The  Kakes  frightened  Van- 
couver's men  by  their  manners,  and  are  dreaded  by  other  Tlingits,  who 
say  that  they  are  outcast  Sitkans. 

They  were  the  most  dreaded  of  all  the  "  northern  Indians "  who 
devastated  the  lower  coast.  In  1H56  several  canoe-loads  were  driven 
from  place  to  place  in  Puget  Sound,  and  ordered  to  go  home  by  the 
U.  S.  S.  Afaxsachmettx,  which  served  a  final  notice  to  those  encamped 
on  the  spit  oppo.-*itc  Port  Gamble's  mills',  and  then  opened  fire.  The 
Kake  chief  and  several  of  his  men  were  killed,  and  the  Mmsuchusetta 
took  the  Kakes  as  far  as  Victoria,  and  once  more  told  them  to  go. 
Two  years  later  a  war  party  of  nearly  a  thousand  a:  rived  at  the  sound, 
and,  landing  on  Wb''ibey  Island  in  the  night,  callet'  out  and  shot  Colonel 
Eby,  collector  of  customs.  They  mounted  his  heu;?  and  those  of  three 
other  whites  on  poles  in  their  canoes,  and  paddled  away  in  triumph. 
No  retaliation  was  attempted,  but  some  years  later  Captain  Dod,  of  the 
Beaver,  visited  a  Kake  village,  and  bought  Colonel  Eby's  scalp  for  six 
blankets,  six  handkerchiefs,  and  two  bottles  of  rum.  In  1866  the 
Kakes  seized  the  schooner  Royal  Charlie,  anchored  near  a  Kuiu  village, 
murdered  the  crew,  and  scuttled  the  ship.  The  finding  of  a  few  relics 
during  the  Kake  war  of  1869  cleared  the  mystery  of  that  craft.  They 
divided  honours  with  the  llaidas  and  Stikines  in  piracy  and  murder 
down  the  coast,  but  were  looked  down  upon  by  both  those  superior 
people.  The  famous  "  Kake  War "  of  1809  arose  from  the  Kakes 
murdering  two  Sitka  traders  in  revenge  for  the  shooting  of  a  Kake  by 
a  Sitka  sentry.  Captain  Meade  took  the  U.  S.  S.  Saghiaw  and  destroyed 
three  villages  by  fire  and  shell. 

These  three  villages  were  in  bays  on  the  northern  end  of  the  island, 
and  it  was  many  years  before  the  Kakes  attempted  to  rebuild  them. 
They  roamed  the  archipelago  as  waifs  and  free-lances,  creating  trouble 
wherever  they  di^ew  up  their  canoes.  Their  visits  were  dreaded  by 
natives  and  whites.  A  few  of  the  better-disposed  Kakes  were  toler- 
ated at  Killisnoo  for  a  time,  but  their  reputation  effectually  kept 
fishermen  and  mineral  prospectors  away  from  their  shoi-es.  The  mili- 
tary census  of  1809  estituated  the  inhabitants  of  Kuiu  and  Kupreanoff 
Islands  at  2,000.  Petroff's  censuH  of  1880  numbers  them  568.  The 
enumeration  of  1 890  gives  but  236  Kakes,  and  notes  but  the  two  vil- 
lages  of  Port  Ellix  on  Kuiu  and  Port  liarrie  on  Kupreanoff  Island. 
In  1891  a  Government  school  was  established  at  Hamilton  Bai/  at  the 
north  entrance  of  Kchi  Strait,  and  in  January,  1892,  the  teacher,  C. 
n.  Edwards,  was  killed  by  two  men  who  came  in  a  small  sloop,  as  he 
believed,  to  sell  litjuor  to  the  Kakes. 

Kekn  Strait,  connecting  Sumner  Strait  and  Prince  Frederick  Sound, 
was  long  suspected  to  afford  a  safer  and  more  direct  ship-ch  nnel  than 
Wraugel  Narrows,  and  more  scenic  beauty  is  claimed  for  it. 


78 


CAPE  FAN8HAWE  TO  TAKU   INLET. 


Kuiu  Island  is  the  most  extraordinary  arrangement  of  forest- 
land  ever  scattered  upon  Alasitan  waters.  Map-makers'  favourite  but 
unpleasant  comparison  is  to  amass  of  entrails  surrounded  by  flies.  The 
Island  is  over  60  miles  in  length  and  30  miles  across  at  its  widest  point, 
but  it  is  such  a  mass  of  peninsulas,  isthmuses,  and  inlets  fringed  with 
tiny  islets  that  the  ordinary  statement  of  dimensions  cannot  describe 
it.  Its  shores  are  least  surveyed  of  any  in  the  archipelago,  and  mail 
steamers  have  only  touched  at  the  cannery  at  Vancouver's  Foint  EUia 
in  the  Bm/  of  Pillars.  Dense  groves  of  yellow  cedar  may  be  seen  on 
its  shores,  and  in  both  1874  and  1876  the  Alaska  Lumber  and  Ship-build- 
ing Company  prayed  Congress  to  grant  it  or  to  sell  it  100,000  acres  of 
timber  lands  on  Knin  hlaml,  binding  itself  to  establish  mills  and 
yards,  and  build  a  vessel  of  1,200  tons  burden  within  two  years.  The 
fianchise  was  refused,  and  Kuiu  remains  a  wilderness. 

From  Cape  Fanshawe  to  Taka  Inlet,  Shucks  and  Sum 

Dmn  Bays. 

Mt.  Windham,  2,r)00  feet  in  height  at  the  N.  entrance  of  Windham 
Bai/,  marks  the  beginning  of  Stephenson  Pajtsape,  25  miles  above  Cape 
Fanshane.  The  mining-camp  of  Shacks,  the  Shuk'hte  of  the  Tlingits, 
lies  at  the  end  of  Windham  Bai/,  8  miles  from  the  entrance. 

Gold  was  discovered  at  this  place  in  1876,  and  in  the  centennial 
year  30  miners  were  at  work.  In  1879  Professor  John  Muir  visited 
the  camp,  and  the  miners  put  him  on  the  trail  of  more  glacial  game 
than  he  had  anticipated.  After  the  Juneau  discoveries  Shucks  was 
abandoned  f (  •  ten  years,  when  a  company  took  up  the  basin  and  began 
hydraulic  mining  on  a  large  scale.  Their  pipe-line  and  Hume  lead  to 
the  [fncle  Sam  Basin,  l,OiM)  ft.  above  the  bay,  whence  it  is  a  short 
climb  to  the  crest  of  the  divi<le  between  Shucks  Bay  and  the  .  :hem 
arm  of  Sum  Bum  Bay.  The  higher  meadows,  thickly  carpeted  with 
dwarf  laurel,  violets,  daisies,  anemones,  buttercups,  lilies  of  the  vallev, 
and  that  royal  flower,  the  black  Kamchatka  lily  (Fritillaria  Kamschat- 
krnsis),  are  rich  botanical  ground,  and  to  the  sportsman  the  region  pre- 
sents the  greatest  attractions.  These  are  the  chosen  pastures  of  the 
mountain-goat ;  and  the  mountain-sheej),  keeping  usually  to  the  second 
anil  interior  ranges,  comes  to  the  coast  between  Cape  Fanshawe  and 
Taku. 

Shucks  is  the  accepted  site  of  the  '*  Lost  Rocker,"  the  standard 
romiince  necessary  to  eac'i  mining  region.  In  that  dim  time  of  mys- 
tery and  fable  "  before  the  transfer,"  two  Stikine  miners  found  pockets 
of  nuggets  in  a  lone  bay  near  ('a;)c  Fanshawe.  They  were  attacked  by 
Indians,  and  one  miner  killed.  The  other,  left  for  dead  beside  his 
rocker,  managed  to  crawl  and  paddle  away  to  a  s-ttlement,  and  died 


CAPE   FAN8HAWE   TO   TAKIT   INLET. 


79 


while  describing  the  place  where  the  rocker  full  of  nuggets  was  left. 
For  a  quarter  of  a  century  prospectors  have  searched  for  the  phantom 
rocker.  Jo  Juneau  admits  of  having  thought  of  it,  and  the  tradition, 
dear  to  the  Alaskan  herrt,  has  been  dramatized,  and  every  season 
"  The  liost  Rocker  "  draws  crowds  to  the  Juneau  Opera-Uouse. 

Sam  Dam,  the  bay  whose  long-drawn  Tlingit  syiiab!es  express 
in  sound  and  meaning  the  noise  of  falling  ice,  was  named  Holkham 
Bay  by  Vancouver.  The  broad  bay  is  seen  from  the  steamer  route 
with  the  great  8um  Bum  Glacier  sloping  down  from  the  snow-fields 
beyond  Aft.  Harrison.  It  divides  into  the  Endicott  Arm,  extending 
26  miles  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  and  the  Tracy  Arm  cutting  N. 
and  then  E.,  some  22  miles  altogether.  It  is  a  great  glacial  trough, 
soundings  giving  no  bottom  at  200  fathoms;  is  set  with  pinnacle 
rocks  and  reefs,  and  contains  but  one  anchorage.  Strong  tidal  currents 
and  floating  ice  further  oppose  navigation. 

No  large  steamers  enter  the  bay,  and  Juneau  launches  proceed  with 
extreme  caution.  There  are  three  small  tide-water  glaciers  in  inlets  of 
Endicott  Arm.  One  of  these  caiions  is  known  as  Ford's  Terror,  in 
honour  of  the  draughtsman  of  the  Patterson,  who  rowed  in  at  slack 
water  to  look  for  ducks.  The  tide  turned  with  a  roar,  and  the  6-mile 
caiion,  less  than  100  yards  wiue  in  places,  was  a  stretch  of  rapids  and 
whirlpools  in  which  small  bergs  from  the  glacier  raced  and  ground  to- 
gether. The  sportsman  was  a  prisoner  for  six  hours,  when  he  was 
able  to  make  his  escape  with  the  last  of  the  ebb-tide.  There  are 
many  such  reversible  cataracts  within  the  bay,  and  gloomy  canons 
that  only  need  their  Hugo,  their  Verne,  and  their  Dor6  to  immortalize 
them. 

The  most  remarkable  glacial  exploit  on  this  coast  was  that  of  Cap- 
tain J.  W.  White,  U.  S.  R.  M.,  who  took  the  Wn/atida  into  the  bay 
while  on  an  exploring  cruise  in  18H8.  Seeing  a  great  arched  opening 
in  the  face  of  one  tide-water  glacier,  he  steered  his  gig  into  a  vast  blue 
grotto,  and  was  ro\»ed  100  ft.  down  a  crystalline  corridor.  The  colouring 
of  roof  and  walls  and  water  was  marvellous,  the  air  was  pure,  palpitant 
sapphire,  and  in  the  shadowy  indigo  alcove  at  the  end  the  boatmen 
poured  out  libations  to  the  ice  spirits.  They  emerged  safely,  unsuspect- 
ing the  perils  they  had  braved. 

The  finest  scenery  of  all  is  reported  in  Tracy  Arm,  and  the  camp 
in  Roaring  Inlet  was  visited  by  Prof.  John  Muir  in  1879.  He  found 
two  splendid  tide-water  glaciers  in  that  magnificent  fiord,  one  a  mile 
and  the  other  a  half  mile  wide,  and  common  Swiss  or  Alpine  glaciers 
fronting  on  terminal  moraines  filled  every  ravine. 

The  Sum  Dum  mining  camp  was  deserted  for  a  decade  after  Ju- 
neau's discoveries,  but  recently  the  claims  have  been  relocated,  and  a 
q'.artz-mill  will  do  its  feeble  grinding  beside  the  primeval  mills  of  the 
gods. 


80 


CAPE   FANSHAWE   TO   TAKU    INLET. 


r 


Port  Snettuhnm  gives  promise  of  importance,  when  its  ledges  of 
gold  and  silver  are  worked ;  and  prospectors  report  the  Speel  River 
cafions  at  the  head  of  the  bay  as  rivalling  any  others  in  point  of 
scenery. 

In  Taku  Harbour,  or  Locality  Inlet,  as  Sir  George  Simpson  named 
it,  the  remains  of  the  old  II.  B.  Co.'s  Fort  Durham  may  be  seen.  The 
TakuB  drove  the  traders  away  at  the  end  of  three  years,  and  the  com- 
pany secured  their  furs  by  annual  visits  of  their  steamers.  The  Takus 
several  times  seized  these  ships  and  looted  them,  and  were  much 
dreaded  by  all  the  whites.  Most  mercenary  of  all  Tlingits  and  sharp- 
est of  bargainers,  the  Takus  arc  called  "the  Alaska  Jews,"  and  in  view 
of  the  financial  advantages  resulting  did  not  oppose  the  coming  of 
miners.  They  were  never  a  totem-pole  people  ;  their  villages  are  un- 
interesting, .;nd  they  have  too  quickly  assumed  the  outer  habits  of  the 
whites.  They  were  estimated  as  numbering  600  in  1869,  but  in  1880 
only  269  Takus  were  counted;  and  in  1890  they  had  fallen  to  214, 
with  their  largest  village  at  Juneau. 

Taku  Mountain,  2,<»00  ft.  high,  a  most  symmetrical  and  densely 
forested  cone,  and  Grand  Island,  1,500  ft.  in  height,  are  the  two  most 
conspicuous  landmarks.  Above  them  is  the  Taku  Open,  a  water  cross- 
roads, where  Stephens's  Passage,  Taku  Inlet,  and  G(u<tineau  Chan- 
nel come  together — a  broad  and  treacherous  roach  where  canoes  are 
threatened  by  winds  from  the  four  quarters.  Taku  Inlet  is  the  cradle 
of  squalls,  and  Taku  Open  their  playground.  In  winter,  fierce  wUla- 
waws  or  "  woolies  "  sweep  from  the  heights,  beat  the  waters  to  foam, 
and  drive  the  spray  in  dense,  blinding  sheets ;  but  in  summer  it  smiles 
and  ripples  in  perfect  peace,  sparkles  with  little  icebergs,  and  is  a 
point  of  magnificent  viewt,. 


Taku  Inlet  and  the  Taku  dilaciers. 

Taku  Inlet  extends  18  miles  in  a  N.  E.  direction  from  Stephens's 
Passage,  widening  to  a  basin  where  the  Taku  River,  a  tide-water,  and 
an  Alpine  glacier  discharge  their  floods. 

It  is  one  of  the  show  places  on  the  Alaska  coast,  ond  is  regularly 
visited  by  excursion  steamers.  The  Taku  (•  lacier  was  christened  the 
Schnhe  Glacier  in  1 883,  in  honour  of  Paul  Seliulze,  of  Tacoma,  and  in 
1891  was  renamed  the  Fonter  Olacier,  in  honour  of  the  then  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury ;  but  locally  to  geologists,  tourists,  and  navigators  it 
remains  the  Taku.      The  native  name  is  iSitih   Klunu  Gntla,  "  th« 


CAPE   FANSHAWE   TO  TAKU   INLET. 


81 


Bpirits'  home."  It  is  f^itth  too  Yehk's,  the  ice  spirit's,  very  palace  of 
delight,  and  the  fabled  man-faced  seals  with  their  human  hands  live 
and  frolic  in  its  clear  blue  grottoes  and  crystal  dells.  The  ice-stream, 
a  mile  in  width,  fills  its  canons  from  wall  to  wall,  {tad  its  squarely 
broken  front  rises  from  100  to  20U  ft.  above  the  water.  It  is  one  of 
the  purest  and  cleanest  glaciers,  without  medial  or  apparent  lateral 
moraines,  and  deeply  fissured  and  crevassed  for  the  6  miles  of  ita 
course  which  is  visible  from  the  water.  Because  of  its  purity,  ships 
prefer  to  fill  their  ice-boxes  in  this  basin,  and  the  process  of  lassoing 
the  icebergs  and  hoisting  them  on  board  is  an  interesting  feature  in 
ship  life. 

On  the  north  shore  of  the  inlet  there  is  a  large  glacier  of  the  Swifts 
type,  two  ice-streams  joining  and  sweeping  in  a  broad  fan  slope  to  a 
terminal  moraine  a  mile  in  width.  A  forest  has  grown  upon  the  west- 
ern edge  01  the  moraine,  and  the  sandy  level  is  cut  by  many  water- 
courses and  covered  with  beds  of  crimson  epilobium.  A  landing  is 
sometimes  made,  and  tourists  arc  given  opportunity  to  visit  this  glacier, 
which  the  natives  call  Sitth  Kailiitrhlf,  the  Spaniards'  Glacier.  The 
Kadischle  was  christened  the  Norris  Glacier  in  1886,  for  Dr.  Basil 
Norris,  U.  S.  A.,  and  in  18'.U  was  named  the  Windom  Olaeier,  in  honour 
of  the  late  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  To  tourists  and  scientists  it  is 
most  commonly  known  as  the  Norris.  It  is  more  broken  than  eitht^r 
the  Mer  de  Glace  or  the  Aletsch  (ilacier,  and  is  six  times  the  width  of 
the  former  and  three  times  the  width  of  the  latter  at  the  last  gateway, 
where  it  spreads  out  into  the  great  rounded  front. 

Whidbey  and  his  men  were  doubtless  the  first  whites,  the  supposed 
Spaniards,  to  enter  the  inlet,  August  10,  17!t4.  From  Vancouver's  ac- 
count, the  rapid  retreat  of  these  glaciers  maybe  estimated.  "From 
the  shores  of  this  basin  a  compact  body  of  ice  extended  some  distance 
nearly  all  around  ;  antl  the  adjacent  regitm  was  composed  of  a  close 
connected  continuation  of  the  lofty  range  of  frozen  moimtains,  whose 
sides,  almost  perpendicular,  were  formed  entirely  of  rock,  excei)ting  close 
to  the  water-side,  where  a  few  scattered  ('warf  pine-trees  found  sutticient 
soil  to  vegetate  in  ;  above  these  the  mountains  were  wrapped  in  undis- 
solving frost  and  snow.  From  the  rugged  gullies  in  their  sides  were 
projected  immense  bodie  of  ice  that  reached  |)erpendicularly  to  the 
surface  of  the  water  in  the  basin,  which  admitted  of  no  landing-place 
for  boats,  but  exhibited  as  dreary  and  inhospitable  an  aspect  as  the 
imagination  can  possibly  suggest."  The  Tak  is  claim  that  their  fathers 
remembered  a  time  when  the  Kadischle  (N'orris-Windom)  Glacier  broke 
off  into  the  sea,  and  that  the  Kadischle  came  at  that  time. 

None  of  these  glaciers  have  bee.i  explored  or  mapped,  nor  their  mo- 


82 


CAPE   FAN8HAWE  TO  TAKU   INLET. 


tion  measured,  although  the  basin  is  the  most  accetisible  and  convenient 
place  for  a  goolof^ist's  summer  camp.  Joiin  Muir  savH  tliat  he  only 
"phinced"  at  tlio  Taltu  ^luciers  in  1875»,  In  1889  Viscount  de  la 
Sabbati^l•e  and  his  comrades  of  the  French  Alpine  Club  camped  here, 
but  mainly  as  H|)ort8men.  In  1890  the  Coast  Survey  charted  the 
waters. 

The  Taku  River,  leading  to  the  interior,  was  known  to  the  II.  B.  Co. 
and  its  head-waters  were  carefully  exj)lored  by  the  Western  Union 
Telegi'aph  Company's  parties,  IS^iS-'d?.  Prospectors  have  followed  the 
Taku  since,  reporting  it  navigable  for  canoes  for  60  miles,  but  plagued 
with  moscpiitoes.  In  1891  Lieutenant  Frederick  Schwatka  and  Dr.  C. 
Willard  Hayes  ascended  to  the  head-waters  and  crossed  to  an  affluent  of 
the  Yukon,  by  which  they  reached  Fort  Selkirk  and  proved  the  exist- 
ence of  an  easy  route  to  the  northern  mines. 

The  Harris  Mining  DiHtrict. — Jnneaa  and  its  Vicinity. 

Gastineau  Channel,  named  for  an  old  II.  B.  Co.  ship,  which 
was  named  for  the  Gastineau  River  near  iuebec,  Canada,  separates 
Douglass  Inland  from  the  mainland  above  the  Taku  Open.  It  narrows 
from  a  mile  and  a  cpiarter  at  the  entrance  to  a  half  mile  above  the 
Juneau  wharf,  and  the  preci[)itous  mountains  on  the  eastern  side  are 
over  2,000  ft.  in  height,  with  many  cascades  slipping  down  those  vel- 
vety green  precipices  with  continuous  roar. 

Juneau,  the  largest  town  in  the  Territory  and  the  centre  of  mining 
operations,  is  situated  on  the  north  or  mainland  shore  of  Gastineau 
Channel,  10  miles  above  its  entrance.  It  has  a  population  of  1,500, 
which  in  winter  is  largely  increased  by  the  miners  who  come  in  from 
distant  claims  and  prospecting  tours.  It  has  a  court-house,  several 
small  hotels  and  lodging-houses,  3  churches,  3  schools,  a  hospital,  an 
opera-house,  a  weekly  newspaper,  a  volunteer  fire  brigade,  a  militia  com- 
pany, a  brass  band,  and,  in  1891,  22  saloons.  A  village  of  Taku  Indiana 
adjoins  it  on  the  E.  below  the  wharf,  and  un  Auk  village  claims  the  flats 
at  the  mouth  of  Gold  Creek.  A  few  interesting  graves  are  on  the  high 
ground  back  of  the  Auk  village,  many  ornamented  with  totcmic  carv- 
ings, and  hung  with  valuable  dance-blankets  and  other  offerings  to  the 
departed  spirits  which  no  wliite  dares  disturb.  The  town-site  covers  the 
slope  of  Chicken  Rulge,  separated  from  Bald  Mouruain  by  Oold  Creek. 
Numbered  avenues  running  f  "rallel  with  the  beach  terrace  the  slope, 
and  are  intersected  by  Gold,  Lincoln,  Seward,  and  Harris  Streets. 
At  Third  and  Seward  Streets  is  the  heart  of  the  town,  and  the  Indians 
hold  a  daily  open-air  fish,  berry,  vegetable,  and  curio  market  there,  in 
addition  to  the  curio  market  on  the  wharf  on  steamer  days.     There  are 


I»l 


CAPE  FANSHAWE  TO  TAKU  INLET. 


83 


several  curio  shopH  along  Water  or  Front  Street,  and  on  Seward  Street, 
and  the  finest  display  of  seal,  otter,  beaver,  bear,  fox,  wolf,  mink,  er- 
mine, squirrel,  and  eagle  skins  will  be  found  at  the  largest  trading 
fltort'H.  A  jiitth  It'iidH  from  the  toj)  of  Seward  Street  to  the  Auk  village 
and  to  tlu'  coriictery  iionws  (lold  ("reek. 

The  eiiiintnco  between  the  town  and  the  Auk  village  is  known  as 
Capitol  Hill,  and  Juneau  citizens  arc  contident  that  the  future  Legisla- 
ture of  Alaska  will  convene  on  that  hill.  Junenu  miners  wrested  from 
Congrcsti  the  few  |)olitical  advantages  the  Teiritoiy  enjoys.  They  once 
sent  a  delegate  to  Washington,  and  even  had  a  clause  moving  the  capi> 
tal  from  Sitka  to  Juneau  considered  in  Congiess.  There  is  bitter  ri- 
valry between  the  capital  and  metropolis. 

In  1871*  Iniiians  brought  bits  of  goldipiar  z  from  (iastiiicau  Channel 
to  Captain  L.  A.  Beardslee,  comnuinding  the  C.  K  i^.  Jatnextowu  atSiika. 
In  IMHO  .Mr.  N.  A.  Fuller,  a  Sitka  merchant,  "  gruh-staked  "  Josejjh  Ju- 
neau and  Richard  Harris  and  sent  them  to  search  "  the  large.'t  of  three 
creeks  lying  between  the  Auk  (JIacier  and  Taku  Inlet."  They  beached 
ttieir  canoe  on  October  Ist,  and  broke  rich  specimens  from  the  "Fuller 
the  First  "  claim  in  tlie  Hasin  at  the  head  of  the  creek  three  da}s  later. 
Returning  to  the  beach,  they  held  a  meeting,  with  Joseph  Jumau  in  the 
chair,  organized  the  "  Harris  Mining  District  of  Alaska,"  and  made  Rich- 
ard Ilanis  re<'order.  When  the  discovery  was  made  known,  there  was 
a  stampetie  for  "  the  Taku  Camp,"  and  hundreds  reached  Jfincrx'  Cove 
that  winter  in  order  to  be  on  the  ground  in  the  spring.  A  guard  of 
marines  from  the  U.  S.  S.  Jumpufoi^-  aintained  order  during  the  first 
year,  but  when  withdrawn,  an  era  of  lawlessness  succeeded,  which  was 
slightly  quelled  by  the  vigilance  committee  of  18K3-'84.  WI  h  tro  land- 
laws,  and  no  Government  recognition  or  protection,  the  miners  could  not 
effect  much  until  the  passage  of  the  organic  act,  in  1884,  gave  them 
title  to  mineral  claims,  since  which  the  region  has  rapidly  progressed. 

The  new  camp  was  named  Pilzbury,  for  the  first  assayer  who  came ; 
then  Fliptown,  as  a  miner's  joke ;  next  Rockwell,  for  the  marine  officer 
of  the  U.  S.  S.  Jamextown ;  fourthly,  it  was  called  Harrisburg ;  and 
fifthly,  Juneau.  This  last  name  was  formally  adopted  at  a  miners' 
meeting  held  in  May,  1 882,  and  at  the  same  time  all  Chinese  were  or- 
dered to  leave  the  camp.  There  were  anti-Chinese  riots  in  1886 ; 
Chinese  cabins  were  blown  up  by  dynamite,  and  the  Chinese  in  town 
and  at  the  mines  on  the  island  were  driven  on  board  a  schooner  and  set 
adrift  without  provisions.  The  town-site  was  surveyed  and  patented  in 
1892. 

The  Silver-Bow  Basin  Mines. 

The  mines  in  the  8ilrer-Bow  Basin,  at  the  head  of  Gold  Creek, 
are  reached  by  a  well-built  waggon-road,  3^  miles  in  length.  The  old 
trail  may  be  seen  zig-zagging  across  the  hillside  behind  the  beach,  but 


84 


CAPE   FANSIIAWE   TO  TAKU   INLET. 


ifl  BO  overgrown  on  the  Biisin  Hide  tlmt  itH  use  Ih  imprartieahle.  There 
is  a  rontl  al(»n(?  oithiT  niiic  of  the  i-reek,  that  on  the  southern  or  Juneau 
side  aiTordiii)^  the  tiiient  viewH  of  the  o|)|)OHite  VoHeniite  wnllx. 

Snouiilitie  (liifc/i,  on  thii*  Juneau  Me,  usuiilly  hars  the  palhway  with 
deep  Hnow-banks  thiou^hoiit  the  Huniiner.  "  CouiterH,"  or  tlie  Taku 
Union  mill,  is  half-way  up  the  oaflon,  aiul  on  the  northern  side  a  wire 
tramway  brings  buckets  of  ore  from  a  elaiin  high  on  linlil  ifoitiitain, 
among  bryanthus  meadows  where  the  mountain-goat  browHeH.  (iranite 
Creek,  a  clear  blue  nuxmtain  stream,  joinn  (iold  Creek  at  the  entrance 
to  the  Kilver-How  lia^in,  which  a  party  of  Montana  minerH  named  for 
their  laHt  camp  in  that  State.  This  deep  bowl  in  the  mountains  haa 
long  received  the  (//ftm  ground  from  the  perpendicular  walls,  and  was 
the  rich  placer-ground  worked  in  those  first  years  when  a  half  million 
in  gold  dust  and  nuggets  was  carried  out  by  the  miners  each  seaj«on. 
When  these  placers  were  worked  as  low  as  their  water  system  woul<i 
allow,  the  claims  were  abantloncd.  Over  60  old  placer  claims,  all  the 
level  floor  of  the  Basin,  are  owned  by  the  Silver-Bow  Basin  Mining 
Company,  of  Boston,  which  has  driven  a  tunnel  3,000  ft.  in  length  in 
from  Charlotte  Basin  below,  and  made  an  upraise  of  90  ft.  to  pita 
where  two  hydraulic  giants  are  washing  out  the  banks  by  many  acres 
each  season.  Work  is  continued  night  and  day  from  May  to  Octolier 
by  the  use  of  electric  lights.  The  .same  company  have  actpiired  many 
of  the  quartz  claims  surrounding  the  Basin,  and  their  20-stamp-mill 
disposes  of  many  tons  of  ore  daily.  The  Silver  Quiver,  a  vast 
cataract  of  foam,  in  outline  like  an  arrow-case,  hangs  high  on  the 
farther  wall,  its  300  ft.  fall  dwarfed  by  its  gigantic  surroundings.  The 
Easteni  Alaska  Mill  is  driven  by  this  waterfall,  and  the  ore  comes  to  it 
in  buckets  moving  on  a  wire  tramway  from  the  tunnel,  1,000  ft.  above. 

Sheep  Creek,  4  miles  S.  E.  of  Juneau,  holds  a  waggon-road  which 
leads  by  steep  and  picturesque  shelves  to  a  small  basin  where  rich  sil- 
ver veins  crop  out.  A  mill  was  erected  and  the  ore  successfully  worked 
for  two  seasons,  1890-'91.  The  ore  averaged  $40  per  ton,  and  beauti- 
ful specimens  of  ruby-silver,  averaging  75  per  cent  silver,  were  found. 
The  same  veins  crossing  the  ridge  reappeared  on  GriruUtone  Creek,  on 
the  Tuku  Inlet  side.  The  Sheep  Creek  Basin  is  the  most  pictur- 
esque of  such  high  mountain  valleys,  its  floor  a  vast  flower-bed,  and  its 
perpendicular  walls  support  gleaming  glaciers. 

Lemon,  Montana,  and  iSalinon  Creekn,  on  the  mainland  shore  above 
Juneau,  hold  large  gravel-beds,  which  it  is  proposed  to  work  with  by- 


CAPE   FANRIIAWE  TO   TAKU    INLET. 


85 


draiilic  ginntH.  The  upper  iciichos  «»f  (I(l^^tin(•^ul  ('Imnnel  were  not  navJ- 
gable  in  Vancouver's  time,  Ijeeuuse  of  the  floating  ioe  from  the  great 
Auk  Oliiiitr*  the  SiUh  h'/ir  Cfianaje  (tlie  phice  where  beef  or  meat 
U  found).  Tiie  Auks  gave  it  tliis  mtmc  l)eeauHe  they  were  always  8ure 
of  finding  inountain-gont  on  the  |)iistuies  around  its  neve.  The  glacial 
d6brii4  hiis  now  tilled  out  the  channel,  until  it  is  only  navigable  to 
canocH  at  high  tide. 

TheHe  Auks,  who  claim  Douglas  Island  and  the  shores  fronting 
it,  are  naid  to  be  outcasts  from  the  llooiiah  tribe,  and  have  always  had 
a  bad  name.  They  numbered  H(»()  in  18t>9,  in  1K80  they  were  counted 
for  tl40,  and  in  1H!»()  there  were  but  277  foimd  by  census  enumerators. 
When  Vancouver's  ii>  i  hurried  away  from  the  trumpeting  Chilkats 
they  fell  among  the  Ai.kh  Their  canoes  trailed  after  and  surrounded 
Whidbey's  l)oals.  With  daggers  lashed  to  their  wrists,  the  warriors 
landed  in  advance,  and  danced  on  the  beach,  si)ears  in  hand.  Mr. 
Whidbey  became  nervous,  and  considering  it  more  "pnidcnt  and  hu- 
mane "  not  to  disturb  them,  whilcdaway  the  night  in  his  boats,  and  then 
returned  to  the  fleet  at  Port  Althorp. 

The  LarKCNt  Quartz-.>lill  in  the  World.f 
Donglas  iNland,  2.'i  miles  long  and  averaging  from  5  to  8  miles 
in  width,  is  as  much  a  treasure-island  aa  the  Pribylolfs.  One  mine,  the 
Treadwell,  has  yielded  more  gold  than  was  paid  for  all  of  Alaska, 
and  while  a  few  prospectors  have  ciossed  the  island,  they  have  only 
scratched  its  shore-line  in  their  search  for  minerals.  Vancouver  named 
the  island  for  his  friend  the  Hishop  of  Salisbury.  It  was  an  untouched 
wilderness  until  1881,  when  miners,  who  came  too  late  to  stake  off 
anything  on  the  Juneau  side,  made  a  camp  op|)osite  the  tiny  Juneau 
Isle.  John  Treadwell,  a  San  i-Vancisco  builder,  unwillingly  took  the 
original  Bean  and  Matthews  claim  on  Paris  Creek  as  security  for  the 
loan  of  $150.  After  it  had  fallen  to  him,  he  bought  the  adjoining 
clain:  of  M.  Pierre  Joseph  Ernsara,  or  "  French  Pete,"  for  $300. 
Messrs.  Frye,  Freeborn,  and  Hill,  of  San  Francisco,  and  Senator  John 
P.  Jones,  of  Nevada,  became  equal  partners  with  him.  Mr.  Treadwell 
remained  on  the  ground,  and  personally  held  and  defended  his  prop- 
erty from  lawless  squatters,  who  washed  off  the  surface  of  his  lode, 
and  could  not  be  driven  off  until  the  organic  act  secured  his  title. 

*  The  Auk  Glacier  was  named  the  Mendenhall  Glacier  by  officers 
of  the  Coast  Survey  ir.  1891. 

f  There  are  single  mining  corporations  in  Hungary  and  South  Africa 
employing  aa  many  stamps,  but  in  separate  buildings  and  plants. 


86 


CAPE   FANSHAWE   TO   TAKU   INLET. 


Over  $800,000  haa  been  spent  upon  the  Tieadwcll  works  since 
then;  $100,000  was  spent  on  a  ditch  18  miles  long,  and  $30O,0C0  in 
experimenting  with  different  processes  of  chlorination  before  a  satis- 
factory one  was  found.  The  one  mill  of  880  stamps,  the  largest  of  its 
kind  in  the  world,  has  never  stopped  night  or  day,  summer  or  winter, 
save  to  set  new  machinery.  Two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty 
tons  of  ore  is  milled  each  day,  averaging  from  $3  to  $7  per  ton  in  value, 
and  milled  at  a  cost  of  $1.25  per  ton.  The  ore  is  quarried  in  open  pits, 
and,  falling  through  ore-shoots  to  cars  in  the  tunnels  below,  is  moved 
by  gravity  through  every  process.  The  heavy  plume  of  smoke  from  the 
Treadwell's  chlorination  works  has  killed  vegetation  for  a  mile  up  and 
down  the  island's  edge. 

The  mill-owners  make  no  objection  to  tourists  visiting  the  establish- 
ment, but  as  they  cannot  undertake  to  suspend  work  nor  to  station 
guards  or  guides,  visitors  are  urged  to  exercise  great  caution  in  enter- 
ing tunnels,  where  trains  are  always  moving ;  pits,  where  blasts  are  be- 
ing fired  ;  and  the  mill,  where  no  voice  can  be  heard  to  warn  them  of 
belts  and  cogs.  By  following  the  path  around  to  the  left  of  the  mill, 
one  may  reach  the  edges  of  the  two  great  pits,  and  by  following  the 
pipe-line  up  to  the  reservoir,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  wharf,  he 
reaches  a  meadow  of  dwarf  laurel  and  countless  strange  wild  flowers. 
The  ditch  and  flume  furnish  a  pathway  through  the  heart  of  the  forest, 
following  the  convolutions  of  the  hillsides  to  a  point  8  miles  above  the 
mill  in  air-line,  but  18  miles  distant  by  the  flume. 

The  ifexiom  mine,  adjoining  the  Treadwell  on  the  east,  is  owned  by 
the  same  stockholders,  and  further  claims  assert  the  extension  of  the 
game  mineral  vein  nearly  to  the  foot  of  the  island. 

The  Beards  Xest  mine,  adjoining  the  Treadwell  on  the  west,  is 
owned  by  German  and  Engli,-h  capitalists,  and,  owing  to  disagreements 
between  mining  engineers  and  stockholders,  the  big  mill  was  never  op- 
erated after  its  comi)lction  in  1888.  Its  jiroinise  built  up  the  adjacent 
Douglas  Citi/,  which  held  liut  800  inhabitants  in  1890,  with  a  street 
of  stores,  a  saw-mill,  a  church,  and  a  school-house. 

The  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  has  never  made  examination  of  this 
mineral  region.  The  enormous  deposit  of  low-grade  ore  cm  the  Tread- 
well claim  is  a  fault  or  freak,  a  mere  pocket  or  chimney  of  quartz 
not  parallelled  elsewhere  on  the  channel.  The  most  experienced  min- 
ing superintendents  confess  themselves  puzzled  in  this  country,  geo- 
logically unlike  any  other.  The  country  rock,  the  general  formation,  is 
slate,  which,  with  granite,  holds  the  quartz  veins,  but  the  veins  are 
broken,  confused,  thrown  in  every  way,  often  without  distinct  walls, 
and  a  large  party  contend  that  there  are  not  any  true  fissure  veins  in 
the  country.  Dr.  George  M.  Daw.Mjn  visited  the  Treadwell  for  his  own 
geological  satisfaction,  t  id  wrote  in  "  The  American  Geologist,"  Au- 
gust, 1889 :  "  It  presents  none  of  the  characters  of  an  ordinary  lode  or 
vein,  being  without  any  parallel  or  arrangement  of  it«  constituents,  and 
showing  no  such  coarse  crystalline  structure  as  a  lode  of  larger  dimen- 
sions might  be  expected  to  exhibit." 

Miners'  wages  range  from  $2  per  day  for  Indians,  and  from  $3  per 


ADMIRALTY   ISLAND. 


87 


day  uptvard  for  white  men,  with  board  and  lodging  provided  by  tlie  em- 
ployer. The  co8t  of  provisions  averages  more  than  $1  a  day  for  each 
man  in  the  larger  establishments.  Beef  eattle  are  brought  up  from  the 
Sound  and  slaiighte'-ed  at  Juneau,  which  is  the  only  place  in  Alaska  en- 
joying a  regular  supply  of  fresh  beef.  With  the  abundance  and  cheap- 
ness of  venison,  duck,  salmon  and  other  fish,  the  prospector  lives  bet- 
ter with  less  exertion  and  cost  than  in  any  other  known  mining  region. 
Ten-pound  salmon  may  be  bought  for  five  and  ten  cents  in  the  summer, 
halibut  as  cheaply  in  the  winter,  and  a  wiiole  deer  for  ^2  at  any  season, 
and  the  miner  has  less  to  contend  with  thin  in  Arizona,  Montana,  or 
other  new  countries.  Every  condition  of  'ife  in  those  regions  is  re- 
versed, however.  All  travel  is  by  water,  the  canoe  becomes  his  pack- 
mule,  and  water-courses  are  his  only  trail.:.  He  has  to  cut  his  way 
through  an  unbroken  forest  from  the  moment  he  leaves  his  canoe,  sink- 
ing knee-deep  in  the  thick  moss  or  sphagnum,  and  a  camp-fire  built  on 
such  ground  gradually  bums  a  deep  well-hole  for  itself.  A  tent  and 
a  Sibley  stove  are  necessary  in  this  region  of  frequent  rains. 


Admiralty  Island. 

Admiralty  Island,  100  miles  in  length,  with  an  average  breadth 
of  30  miles,  is  unsurveyed  like  the  other  great  islands,  save  as  the 
prospectors  have  followed  the  shores  and  the  water-courses.  Kootz- 
nahoo  Inlet  cuts  it  nearly  in  two,  and  is  an  inland  sea  embracing  a 
small  archipelago  of  its  own,  sheltered  in  the  heart  of  the  little  Ad- 
miralty continent. 

Olass  Peninsula,  on  the  eastern  side,  is  a  considerable  island  itself, 
and  only  joined  to  the  parent  shore  by  a  spongy  isthmus,  over  which 
the  Auks  drag  their  canoes.  JIawk  Inlet  almost  cuts  loose  the  north- 
ern end  of  the  island,  which  is  as  large  and  considered  as  rich  miner- 
alogically  as  the  opposite  Douglass  Island.  A  snow-capped  mountain 
range  fills  the  interior.  Marble  bluffs  front  for  miles  on  the  western 
shore,  and  coal  has  been  found  in  Kootznahoo  Inlet,  and  on  the  south- 
eastern shore. 

Gold  quartz  veins  were  found  on  the  northern  shore,  and  this  "  Tel- 
lurium Group  "  promi.ses  to  build  a  second  Juneau  in  the  picturesque 
bay  named  for  Captain  Robert  FutUer,  an  early  navigator  of  the  North- 
west Coast. 

Killisnoo,  on  Kenasnow  ("  near  the  fort  ")  Island,  holds  Kotcosok 
Harbour  between  it  and  the  Admiralty  shore,  and  is  the  site  of  large 
oil  and  guano  works.  There  are  a  post-office.  Government  school,  and 
Russian  chapel  at  this  place,  and  a  village  of  Kootznahoo  Indians, 
under  command  of  their  great  chief  Kitchnatti,  cr  Saginaw  Jake. 


88 


ADMIRALTY   ISLAND. 


Tbe  first  post  of  the  Northwest  Trading  Company  was  established 
here  in  1880  as  a  shore  station  for  whaling.  The  explosion  of  a  bomb 
harpoon  killed  a  great  medicine-man  in  1882,  and  the  company  re- 
fused the  Kootznahoos'  demand  of  200  blankets  as  indemnity.  The 
natives  held  a  white  man  as  ransom,  but  discovering  him  to  possess 
but  one  eye  they  returned  hirn  as  cnltus  (worthless),  and  demanded  a 
whole  and  sound  man  as  an  equivalent  for  their  dead  shaman.  Their 
threats  to  murder  the  whites  at  the  station  were  answered  by  Cap- 
tain Merriman,  the  naval  comnumder  at  Sitka,  who  hurried  over  in 
a  revenue  cutter,  held  a  council,  and  bombarded  the  village  of  Angoon, 
the  Bear  Fort  of  the  Kootznahoos  in  the  gieat  inlet.  Much  indigna- 
tion was  vented  by  Eastern  editors  at  the  occurrence,  and  sad  pictures 
were  drawn  of  the  natives  left  shelterless  among  "the  eternal  ice  and 
snows  of  an  arctic  winter."  The  mercTiry  stood  20  higher  for  the 
month  than  in  New  York  and  Boston,  and  the  Kootznahoos.  securing 
front  seats  on  the  opposite  shore,  watched  the  bombardment  and 
cheered  the  ncatjst  shots.  The  tribe  saved  their  winter  provisions 
and  all  their  belongings,  save  what  pilferers  took  during  the  bondiard- 
ment.  They  paid  a  line  of  4u0  blankets,  and  have  since  kept  the 
peace. 

FISHERIES  OF  THE  REGION. 

The  cod  •••hich  abound  in  Chatham  Strait  were  for  a  time  packed 
at  Killisnoo,  e  natives  receiving  two  cents  apiece  for  the  8,000  and 
10,000  fish  of  a  pounds'  average  weight  which  they  brought  in  daily  from 
their  trawls.  The  cod  were  dried  artificially,  and  an  excellent  quality 
of  cod-liver  oil  was  made,  but  this  factory  could  not  comjiete  with  the 
yhumagin  fleet  which  controlled  the  market  at  San  Francisco.  The 
herring,  "  which  has  decided  the  destiny  of  nations,"  next  made  the 
fortunes  of  Killisnoo.  From  September  to  May  all  these  waters  are 
visited  by  great  schools  of  herrings,  and  once  in  August  the  mail 
steamer  passed  through  one  school  for  four  hours — the  water  silvered 
as  far  as  could  be  seen,  many  whales  and  flocks  of  gulls  attracted 
by  this  run  of  plenty.  The  natives  rake  them  from  the  water  with  a 
bit  of  lath  set  with  nails,  and  a  family  can  fill  a  canoe  in  an  hour. 
Spruce  branches  are  laid  in  shallow  water  along  the  shore,  and  the 
herring  roe  deposited  on  tliem  are  stored  in  cakes  for  winter  use.  The 
factory's  crews  net  from  300  to  600  barrels  of  herring  at  a  single 
haul.  Often  1,000  barrels  are  seined  at  once,  and  1,500  barrels  were 
recently  taken  by  one  cast  of  the  seine  in  Sitka  harbour.  The  same 
machinery  and  processes  are  used  at  Killisnoo  as  at  the  menhaden 
factories  in  the  East.  Each  barrel  of  fish  when  pressed  yields  3 
quarts  of  oil,  valued  at  25  and  36  cents  a  gallon.  The  refuse  of  60 
barrels  of  fish,  dried  and  powdered,  furnishes  one  ton  of  guano,  worth 
$30,  and  is  much  in  demand  for  Hawaiian  sugar  plantations  and  ('ali- 
fornia  fruit  ranches. 

One  hundred  whites  and  50  natives  are  employed,  and  the  factory  is 
a  model  of  neatness  and  order,  despite  the  odours.  Its  gardens  are 
worthy  of  a  vitiit. 


ADMIRALTY   ISLAND. 


80 


THE  KOOTZNAHOOS. 

Saffinaw  Jake  is  a  chief  object  of  into.est  to  tourists.  His  people, 
the  Kootznahoos,  whose  name  lias  been  spelled  in  fifteen  ways,  claim  to 
have  come  from  over  the  seas,  and  deny  any  common  origin  with  the 
Tlingits.  They  first  manufactured  the  native  spirit,  fioockinoo,  which 
carries  more  frenzy  in  each  drop  than  any  other  liquid,  and  is  dis- 
tilled in  old  coal-oil  cans  from  a  mash  composed  of  yeast  and  molasses 
or  sugar,  mixed  with  flour.  They  made  hostile  demonstrations  to  Van- 
couver's men,  and  Whidbey  believed  it  "  more  humane  and  prudent " 
to  leave  before;  tempted  to  hurt  the  Kootznahoos.  They  murdered 
traders  and  prospectors  as  soon  as  the  Russians  left,  and  in  1869  Com- 
mander Meade,  U.  S.  N.,  went  in  the  Satfinaw,  shelled  the  village  in 
the  inlet,  took  Kitchnatti  prisoner  and  conveyed  him  to  Mare  Island, 
Cal.,  where  he  was  confined  on  the  I'ktginaw  for  a  year.  The  result  of 
this  arrest  rendered  it  unnecessary  to  transfer  the  garrison  from 
Sitka  and  build  a  post  on  Admiralty  Island,  as  had  been  contem- 
plated. The  tribe,  reduced  to  47i)  souls  in  1890,  one  half  the  number 
reported  in  1869,  are  peaceable  "followers  of  this  old  chief,  who  wears 
a  gaudy  uniform,  and  posts  this  scutcheon  over  his  log-cabin  door : 

"  KITCHNATTI." 

"  By  the  Governor's  commission, 
And  the  company's  permission, 
I'm  made  the  (irand  Tyhee 
Of  this  entire  illabee. 

"Prominent  in  Bonf,  nnd  story, 
I've  attained  the  top  of  tjlory. 
As  '  Sapinaw  '  I'm  known  to  fame, 
Jalie  '  is  but  my  common  name.'  " 

A  young  demagogue,  a  common  Kootznahoo  politician,  has  lately 
set  up  as  a  rival  and  successor  of  Jake,  displays  a  bombastic  couplet 
on  his  door-post,  and  matches  every  move  the  great  man  makes. 

There  is  a  large  lagoon  opposite  KiUimoo,  reached  by  a  rocky  pass 
at  high  tide  and  by  carries  at  low  water,  where  herring  swarm  in  their 
time,  malma  swim  in  the  tourists'  season,  and  luck  always  attends  a 
fisherman.  Killimioo  is  an  admirable  headquarters  for  sportsmen, 
who  can  here  charter  launches  and  find  native  guides  and  canoemen. 

Kootznahoo  Inlet  can  busy  sportsmen-explorers  for  more  than 
a  month,  and  is  a  maze  of  islands,  inlets,  bays,  coves,  lagoons,  creeks, 
and  lakes.  The  narrow  entrance  is  3  miles  above  Killisnoo,  and  just 
within  there  is  a  reef-strewn  pass,  where  the  tide  runs  out  with  great 
ovurfalls  and  roars,  attaining  a  speed  of  12  knots  an  hour — the  equal 
of  Seymour  Narrows.  At  the  Seiorul  linpids,  Captain  Meade  aa- 
chored  the  Saginav)  at  slack  water  in  1 869,  but  with  the  ebb  of  the 

tide  the  whirlpools  and  overfalls  ciiused  the  vessel  to  keel  over,  to 

7 


90 


ALONG   CHATHAM   8TEAIT  AND   LYNN    CANAL. 


sheer  violently  and  nearly  snap  its  cables  before  it  could  get  away. 
He  named  the  place  HeWs  Acre.  The  large  village  facing  this  watery 
acre,  although  deemed  a  secure  retreat  in  all  attacks,  was  strongly  forti- 
fied, and  the  older  lodges  and  the  graveyard  are  interesting. 

Veins  of  bituminous  coal  at  the  head  of  tiie  inlet  were  discovered 
by  Lieutenant  Mitchell,  U.  S.  N.,  in  1868,  were  visited  by  Mr.  Seward 
the  following  year,  and  have  been  regularly  rediscovered  every  season 
since.  As  first  tested,  it  burned  quickly,  produced  great  hi  at,  but 
rapidly  destroyed  grate-bars  and  boiler  iron.  Many  interesting  fossil 
plants  and  shells  and  larger  rcniaias  have  been  found  in  the  shales, 
clay,  and  sandstones  of  these  foniations,  and  the  supposed  collar-bone 
of  a  pterodactyl,  exhumed  here  by  Rich  and  Willoughby,  was  long  ex- 
hibited at  Juneau.  Bear,  deer,  wild  fowl,  salmon,  niaima,  and  trout 
reward  those  seeking  them,  and  artists  are  promised  landscape  re- 
wards. 


Along  Chatham  Strait  and  Lynn  GanaL 

Chatham  Strait  and  its  northern  continuation,  Lynn  Canal, 
afford  the  noblest  water-way  in  the  archipelago,  a  broad  highway  run- 
ning almost  due  N.  and  S.  for  200  miles,  with  an  average  width  of  6 
miles.  Geologists  easily  recognize  it  as  the  bed  of  a  great  glacier. 
Colnett  and  the  early  fur-traders  knew  it  nnd  named  it  before  Van- 
couver arrived,  ard  the  latter  wrote  that  "  the  sea-otter  were  in  such 
plenty  that  it  was  easily  in  the  power  of  the  natives  to  procure  as 
many  as  they  chc-^e  to  be  at  the  trouble  of  taking."  The  free  fishing 
which  Russia  allowed  for  the  ten  years  after  the  conventions  of  1824- 
'25  exterminated  the  precious  animal. 

Chatham  Strait  is  a  playground  of  inferior  whales,  great  toteniic 
creatures  whom  the  Tiiniiits  l)elieved  were  once  ))ears,  hut,  going  to 
sea,  wore  off  their  fur  on  the  rocks  and  had  their  feet  nibbled  off 
by  fishes.  A  demon,  or  the  all-niisciiievous  raven,  often  creeps  down 
the  whale's  throat,  and  causes  such  agony  that  the  whale  rushes  to 
shore  and  vomits  the  intruder  on  the  beach.  Paintings  and  carvings 
showing  the  demon  in  the  whale's  body  are  often  assumed  as  proof 
that  the  Tlingits  have  a  Jonah  legend  and  direct  Asiatic  descent.  The 
('hatham  Strait  whales  are  credited  with  the  same  aggres  ve  disposi- 
tion as  the  cinnamon  bear,  attacking  and  destroying  canoes.  A  few 
years  ago,  a  duck-hunter,  who  unintentionally  wounded  a  frolicking 
vhale,  was  attacked,  and  only  escaped  by  reaching  shallow  water. 

Halibut-fishing  may  be  followed  with  success  anywhere  in  the 
strait,  and  the  crudest  tackle  with  a  bit  of  salmon  or  a  herring  for 
bait  will  decoy  "chicken  halibut"  of  30  and  60  pounds  while  9, 
steamer  waits  at  Killisaoo  wharf. 


ArX)NG   CHATHAM   STRAIT   AND   LYNN   CANAL. 


91 


liynn  Canul,  the  grandest  fiord  on  the  coast,  was  named  for 
Vancouver's  native  town  in  Norfolk,  England,  and  Point  Couverden  at 
its  entrance  celebrates  his  own  country  estate.  It  extends  for  55  miles 
to  Seduction  Pointy  where  it  divides  into  the  Chilkat  Inlet  on  the  W. 
and  the  Chilkoot  Inlet  on  the  E.  It  has  but  few  indentations,  and  the 
abrupt  palisades  of  the  mainland  shores  present  an  unrivalled  pano- 
rama of  mountains,  glaciers,  and  forests,  with  wonderful  cloud  eflFects. 
Depths  of  430  fathoms  have  "been  sounded  in  the  canal,  and  the  conti- 
nental range  on  the  E.  and  the  White  Mountains  on  the  W.  rise  to 
average  heights  of  6,000  ft.,  with  glaciers  in  every  ravine  and  alcove. 

The  Eagle  (vlacier  shows  first  on  the  mainland  shore  above  the 
Ank  Glacier.  "  It  is  surmounted  by  a  rocky  crag,  which  resembles 
our  national  bird  so  much  more  than  does  the  fipure  on  the  new  dollar, 
that  we  christened  it  the  Eagle  Glacier,"  wrote  Captain  Beard.slee  in 
August,  1879. 

The  Cameron  Boundary  Line  *  crossing  from  Point  Whidbey  to 
Poini  Bridget  would  cut  the  fiord  in  two  and  give  to  Canada  Ber- 
ner's  Bay,  where  the  Tucknook  placers  and  the  Seward  City  mines 
give  great  promise.  Captain  White,  who  found  rich  sulphurets  at 
Funter  Bay  in  1868,  took  the  Wayanda  into  Berner's  Bay  and  found 
"  numerous  quartz  veins  containing  sulphurets,"  which  he  had  also 
found  "  occurring  in  similar  formation  along  the  N.  E.  shore  of  Admi- 
ralty Island,  and  on  the  mainland  as  far  as  Taku  Harbour,  60  miles 
S.  E.  of  Berner's  Bay." 

WiUiam  Henry  Bay,  on  the  opposite  shore,  is  a  nook  commend- 
ed to  sportsmen  by  Captain  L.  A.  Beardslee,  whom  the  struggling  salm- 
on tripped  up  as  he  attempted  to  wade  the  stream ;  who  found  many 
bear-tracks,  and  evidences  of  the  best  duck-shooting.  Fifty  spider 
crabs  were  speared  by  his  companion  in  a  few  hours,  a  crab  whose 
claws  measure  5  ft.  from  tip  to  tip,  and  whose  7-inch  shell  is  packed 
with  a  fine,  delicious  meat. 

Seduction  Point  was  so  named  by  Vancouver  because  of  "  the  ex- 
ceedingly artful  character"  of  the  natives  inhabiting  it.  Several 
canoe-loads  of  Chilkats  met  Whidbey  at  this  point,  seemed  most 
friendly  and  hospitable,  and  led  the  way  up  the  western  arm,  but  grew 
hostile  when  the  Englishmen  refused  to  cross  the  bar  and  ascend  the 
river  to  the  village  where  tight  chiefs  of  consequence  resided.  All 
were  arrayed  in  ceremonial  dress,  wearing  the  fringed  narkheen,  or 
Chilkat  dance-blanket,  with  tall  head-drcsse.s,  and  one  flourished  a 


II 


*  S«e  map  on  page  61, 


n 


92   CHILKAT  COUNTRY  AND  PA8BE8  TO  THE  YUKON. 

brass  speaking-trumpet  with  great  effect.  When  Whidbey  returned 
from  this  cruiHC,  Vancouver  abandoned  all  hope  of  finding  the  North- 
west Passage  : 

"  From  the  close  connccticm  and  continuation  of  the  lofty,  snowy 
barrier,  little  probability  can  remain  of  there  being  any  navigable 
communication,  even  for  canoes,  between  such  waters  (Hudson  Bay) 
and  the  North  Pacific  Ocean,  without  the  interruption  of  falls,  cata- 
racts, and  various  other  impediments,"  and  for  90  years  explorers 
halted  at  the  foot  of  this  great  barrier,  the  "  firm  and  close  connected 
range  of  stupendous  mountains  forever  doomed  to  support  a  burden 
of  undissolving  ice  and  snow," 

The  Davidson  Glacier,  which  sweeps  superbly  from  a  gorge  in 
the  White  Mountains  and  spreads  out  in  a  broad,  evenly  ribbed  fan 
front,  is  the  most  imposing  and  symmetrical  ice-stream  of  its  type  in 
the  region.  It  is  named  for  Prof.  George  Davidson,  the  astronomer, 
who  explored  its  lower  slopes  during  his  visits  to  the  Chilkat  country 
in  1867  and  1869.  It  has  built  a  termipal  moraine  far  out  into  the 
channel,  and  a  half-mile-wide  forest  belt  encircles  the  three-mile  curve 
of  the  glacier's  foot.  The  moraine  is  channelled  with  streams  and  is 
swampy  throughout.  The  base  of  the  glacier  presents  a  chaotic  mass 
of  grimy  ice-blocks,  and  it  is  a  tortuous  mile  up  the  ice  cliffs  and  be- 
tween crevasses  to  the  line  of  the  mountain  gateway,  where  Prof. 
Davidson  found  the  ice-level  646  ft.  above  the  channel.  Steam- 
launches  can  be  chartered  at  the  canneries  to  convey  tourists  to  this 
glacier,  and  a  tolerably  dry  path  has  been  found  leading  to  the  ice. 
The  finest  view  of  the  glacier  is  had  from  the  ship  when  direcii^ 
abreast  of  it  in  the  morning.  From  Pyramid  Harbour  the  ice  mass 
seems  to  project  in  air  and  overhang  its  base. 

The  Chilkat  Country  and  the  Passes  to  the  Yukon. 

There  is  a  small  glacier  in  the  canon  behind  Pyramid  Harbour 
which  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  precipitous  mountain  named  for  the  H.  B. 
Co.'s  ship  Labouchere.  This  remarkable  mountain  rises  as  straight  as 
a  mason's  wall  for  2,000  ft.  above  the  beach,  "subtending  an  angle 
of  more  than  30°  as  seen  from  the  shore  of  the  harbour,"  and  shad- 
owing a  ship  at  anchor.  It  has  been  climbed  in  two  hours  by  an 
approach  from  the  west  side,  but  its  forests  contain  many  bears,  whom 
the  climber  must  be  prepared  to  meet.  The  cannery  and  trading  station 
at  Pyramid  Harbour  were  established  in  1882,  and  have  been  successful, 
save  in  the  season  of  1891,  when  a  spring  avalanche  wrecked  the  can> 
nery  and  cabins.    There  is  usually  a  large  camp  of  Chilkat  Indians  be- 


r 


5t 

■<0 


591 

'0  ■ 


59' 


Unexplored  Re^rons 


liS'ao' 


West   or  GreenwkcK 


«5* 


Scale  1 :  050,000. 


IS  miles. 


Qhilkut  and  Chilkoot  Bay*. 


ClIILKAT   COUNTRY   AND   PAflSEfl   TO  THE   YUKON.    93 


low  the  cannery,  and,  in  addition  to  hasitets,  spoons,  and  curios,  they 
often  make  a  flower  inurkct  with  the  wild  roses  and  iris  which  attain 
wonderful  .size  and  colour  in  this  Alpine  valley.  Wild  strawberries  are 
found  on  the  flats,  together  with  the  salmon-berries  and  thimble-ber- 
ries of  the  coast. 

The  little  Pyramid  Mand,  off  Pyriimid  Harbour,  has  been  also 
known  as  Stimy,  Sandy,  Farewell,  and  Oltservatory  Island.  The  native 
name  is  Shla-hntch.  It  is  the  U.  8.  astronomical  station,  its  posi- 
tion  69"  ir  north  and  135°  20'  west,  and  is  tlic  tourist's  farthest 
north,  where  he  exposes  photographic  plates,  and  reads  fine  print,  ^i 
midnight  in  July. 

Chilkat,  tt  rival  cannery  and  trading  station,  was  built  on  the  op- 
posite  side  of  the  inlet  in  1884,  and  as  a  point  of  departure  for  Yukon 
travellers  this  Chilkat  has  become  quite  a  village.  The  Chilkat  can- 
nery is  one  of  the  largest  in  southeastern  Alaska,  and  its  catch  of  king 
and  red  salmon  busies  a  large  force  of  whites  and  Chinese.  The  na- 
tives were  not  altogether  pleased  with  the  canners'  invasion,  and  there 
have  been  many  troubles.  The  rivalry  of  the  canneries  once  raised 
the  price  of  a  single  salmon  from  two  to  fifteen  cents,  and  when  the 
two  establishments  agreed  upon  a  common  price  for  the  next  season 
the  Chilkats  rejected  their  terms.  Once  fifteen  cents,  always  fifteen 
cents,  they  insisted.  Chinese  and  whites  were  sent  for,  and  there  has 
been  trouble  nearly  every  summer  since.  The  Chilkats  naturally  ob- 
jected to  this  invasion  of  their  own-fishing  grounds,  the  seining  of  the 
river  of  every  salmon,  and  the  great  waste  and  destruction  of  other 
fish  that  are  their  mam  food  supply ;  but  each  time  the  Governor  and 
the  man-of-war  are  summoned,  and  the  Chilkats  arc  bidden  to  lot  the 
white  poachers  and  their  nets  alone,  on  pain  of  punishment. 

A  trail  a  mile  and  a  half  long  leads  through  the  miry  woods  across 
to  the  site  of  the  mission  staticm  of  Haines,  on  Ch'ilkoot  Inlet,  whence 
Yukon  miners  canoe  to  the  end  of  Dyea  Inlet.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Willard 
abandoned  the  mission  a  few  years  ago  because  of  the  hostile  and  sus- 
picious actions  of  the  I'-.dians  after  the  death  of  a  child  to  whom  they 
had  given  medicines.  This  Chilkoot  and  the  Chilkat  and  other  trails 
to  the  Yukon  are  fully  described  in  the  chapter  at  the  end  of  the  book. 

THE  GREAT  TRIBE  OF  THE  TLINtJlT  NATION. 

The  Chilkats  and  the  Chilkoots,  really  one  tribe,  are  the  great 
people  of  the  Tlingit  nation.  CapUiin  Beardslee  says,  that  "  their 
legend  is  that  originally  all  the  Tlingits  lived  in  the  Chilkat  country ; 


94      OHTLKAT  OtTNTRT   AND  PAfiBES  TO  THE  YUKOil. 


that  there  came  groat  floodrt  of  ice  and  water,  the  country  grew  too 
poor  to  support  them,  nuil  many  emigrated  south."  No  ^cologiflt 
takes  exception  to  tills  legend. 

They  have  always  been  great  grcawe-truders  and  middle-men,  and 
possessed  more  wealth  than  any  other  tribes.  They  were  opposed  to 
any  white  interference  with  their  trade  with  the  Tinnehs,  or  interior 
tribes,  and  for  fifty  years  successfully  resisted  the  attempts  of  traders 
and  miners  to  cross  the  pusses  to  the  Yukcm  basin.  The  Chilkats'  fur- 
trade  was  most  valuable  to  the  H.  IJ.  Co.,  but  its  agents  never  saw  or 
traded  directly  with  the  Tinnehs,  who  furnished  the  pelts  brought  to 
them  at  Mt.  Loboiic/ietr.  The  Chilkats  met  the  Tinnehs  at  the  divide 
and  bought  their  furs. 

The  Tinnehs  never  attempted  to  pass  the  line,  and  the  few  brought 
as  guests  were  overpowered  with  the  sights  of  the  great  villages,  the 
war  canoes,  and  the  traders'  fire-shij),  smoking  like  a  huge  pipe,  and 
moving  without  puddle  or  sail.  The  H.  H.  Co.  sold  flinl-lock  muskets 
for  as  many  mortcn-skins  as  could  be  piled  between  stock  and  muzzle, 
and  the  fashion  in  gun-barrels  progressed  until  the  huntsman's  weapon 
was  as  tJill  as  liitiiself.  The  white  men  made  a  profit  of  a  few  hundred 
per  cent  on  these  sales,  and  the  Chilkats  cleared  a  few  thousand  per  cent 
when  trading  with  the  Tinneh.  A  Boston  brig  visited  Lynn  Canal  in 
1807,  and  in  an  attempt  to  board  and  IcHjt  her  70  Chilkats  were  killed. 
Tliey  were  dreaded  by  the  smaller  tribes  below  them,  and  fought  all 
the  villages  between  theii'  homes  and  the  Nass  River. 

The  Chilkats  "mustered  about  2,0(10"  in  1869,  in  1880  there  were 
988,  and  in  1H9()  only  811  of  thetril)e,  the  enumerators  finding  that  one 
whole  village  had  been  wiped  out  by  la  t/rippe.  Their  winter  homes 
nrg  in  three  villages  uj)  the  Chilkat  River — Iliiulnsrtuket,  or  Tondunkk 
C'  ihe  village  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river"),  or  Uoniwak's  village,  is  at 
tl'C  mouth  of  the  Chilkat  Rivci',  where  only  canoes  can  go.  Kut- 
k  cuttln-Iu,  "  the  place  of  gulls  " — and  no  gull  could  speak  it  more 
'lainly — is  next  on  the  river,  and  then  comes  the  capital,  Klukwan, 
"old  town,"  where  Kloh-Kutz  lived  and  ruled;  where  every  house  was 
fortified  with  bastions  and  port-holes;  where  each  totem  had  a  splen- 
did feast-house,  with  massive  carved  coluums  inside;  and  the  grave- 
yards are  still  an  ethnologist's  jjaradise.  In  summer  these  villages  are 
depopulated,  the  peojjle  fiocking  to  Chilkat  and  Pyiamid  Harbour  to 
sell  curios  and  spend  what  little  they  may  acquire  in  debttucheries. 
Saloons  were  openly  kept  in  IS'.t'i,  the  Chilkats  were  able  to  buy  liquor 
by  the  barrel,  if  they  wished,  and  the  end  of  the  great  tribe  is  at  hand. 

Kloh-Kutz,  ('hartrich,  or  Ilole-in-the-Cheek,  their  great  heud-chief, 
was  a  hero  worthy  of  Cooper,  and  of  the  best  type  of  C'hilkat  warriors. 
His  father  was  one  of  the  band  that  went  over  and  destroyed  the  H.  B. 
Co.'s  Fort  Selkirk,  on  the  Yukon,  in  1851,  because  of  interference  with 
their  trade ;  and  Kloh-Kutz  drew  for  Professor  Davidson  the  first  map 
of  the  passes  leading  from  the  Chilkat  country  to  the  Yukon.  The 
great  astronomer  first  knew  him  in  1867,  and  when  he  returned  to 
observe  the  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  in  1869,  Kloh-Kutz  made  the  party 
his  guests,  and  established  them  in  the  council-house  at  Klu-Kwan. 


OIIILKAT  COUNTRY    AND   PASSES   TO   THE   YUKON.       95 


Mr.  Sowanl  8|)ont  oclipsc-dny  (Auk'h^I'  8,  18fi9),  nt  Klu-Kwun,  escorted 
up  1111(1  down  tilt-  river  by  wiir  canoes  manned  witli  tlieflower  of  Cliilkat 
chivalry.  Tiienc  people  commanded  the  admiration  of  all  whites  who 
knew  them  hefoie  the  canneries  and  miners  came,  and  contact  with 
civilization  wroiij^ht  their  ruin.  Professor  Davidson  hroiipht  first  word 
of  them,  and  made  a  vocabulary  of  their  dialect.  Lieutenant  C  E.  S. 
Wood  vi-ited  them  in  1877,  and  recorded  much  of  interest  in  hia 
"  Amonft  the  Thlinkits  in  Alaska"  (Century  Mapi/.ine,  July,  188'2),  not- 
ing their  rope-duel,  the  counterpart  of  the  Scandimivian  Mtespnnnare. 
Ensinn  Hanus's  report  of  his  peace  mission  of  1880  is  a  valuable  ethno- 
logical contribution,  and  is  leprinted  in  the  census  report  of  1H!)().  The 
Drs.  Krausc  came  from  Berlin  to  study  them  as  finest  and  least  cor- 
rupted of  Tlingit  tribes,  and  their  "  Die  TiUnket  Indidncr"  is  the  most 
valuable  publication  of  its  kind.  Lieutenant  Kmmons  learned  much  of 
them  before  their  decadence,  and  as  proof  of  their  friendship  was  per- 
mitted to  buy  Kloh-Kutz's  ancestral  narkheen  or  dance-blanket  after 
the  chiefs  death. 

The  ('hilkats  lonj;  knew  the  art  of  forging  copper,  and  many  fine 
specimens  of  jade  have  been  obtained  from  them.  They  were  great 
himters  as  well  as  traders,  and  bear  and  mountain-goat  were  their  espe- 
cial game.  The  latter,  the  "  wool-bearing  antelope  "  is  found  through- 
out their  country,  and  they  have  the  credit  of  first  weaving  the  elaborate 
narkhcfn,  or  dance-robes,  known  as  t'hilkat  blankets,  but  made  by  Hai- 
das  and  Tsimsians  as  well.  They  wove  them  a  century  ago,  but  few  are 
made  to-day,  reduced  size,  coarse  weaving,  and  traders'  dyed  yarns  ren- 
dering the  modern  ones  poor  imitations  of  the  originals.  The  old  blan- 
kets, over  2  yards  in  width,  I  yard  deep,  with  a  yard-long  fringe  border- 
ing three  sides,  were  woven  of  finely  spun  goat-wool  on  a  wnrp  of  fine 
cedar  threads  suspended  from  an  upright  loom  and  tautened  by  weights. 
The  designs  were  combinations  of  totcinic  figures,  rigidly  convention- 
alized and  balanced,  that  recorded  the  legenils  of  the  wearer's  family. 
The  claws  and  the  inverted  eyes  found  on  nearly  all  blankets  are  those 
of  llutli,  or  Hah  tia,  the  thunder  bird  ;  the  full  face  is  the  Iiear  and  the 
whale's  profile  easily  recognized.  Each  piece  and  part  of  the  design 
is  woven  separately,  as  in  .lapanese  tapestry,  connected  by  occasional 
brides,  and  the  even  satin  stitch  over  and  beneath  every  two  threads 

eenish- 


B> 


,gr( 


blue  are  the  colour-i  eini)loyed,  and  in  a  particularly  fine  blanket  belong- 
ing to  a  Nass  River  chief,  a  rich  dull  red  was  employed  with  fine  effect. 
The  black  is  made  from  soot,  charcoal,  or  lignite ;  the  yellow  from  sck^ 
A(m«',  a  sea-weed  found  on  the  rocks;  the  greenish-blue  from  boiling 
co|)per  and  this  sea-weed  together ;  and  the  red  from  spruce-juice,  berry- 
juice,  and  ochre. 

To  the  Yukon  River  and  Mining  Camps. 

Either  the  Chilkat  or  the  ChUkoot  Inkt  leads  to  passes  over  the 
continental  range,  by  which  the  head-waters  of  the  Yukon  River  may 
be  reached.    The  Drs.  Krause,  Dr.  Everette,  U.  S.  A.,  and  Mr.  E.  J. 


96      CHILKAT   COUNTEY   AND   PASSES   TO   THE   YUKON. 

Glave  have  explored  the  head-waters  of  the  Chilktt  and  Alsekh  Rivers. 
Mr.  Glave  descended  the  Alsekh  to  Dry  Bay  on  the  ocean-coast  one 
season,  and  in  1891  took  pack-horses  over  the  Chilkat,  and  proved  the 
feasibility  of  a  pack-trail  to  the  Yukon  and  the  existence  of  suitable 
pastures  for  such  animals.  His  "  Pioneer  Pack-horses  Jn  Alaska,"  Cen- 
tury Magazine,  September,  1892,  describes  the  regions  traversed. 

The  Chilkoot  Trail,  used  by  miners  since  1880,  begins  at  Haleys, 
26  miles  from  Chilkat  Cannery;  in  12  miles  it  ascends  to  the  pass,  and 
in  11  miles  more,  or  23  miles  in  all,  drops  to  Lake  Linderman  in  the  bush 
country,  beyon^l  the  range.  Thore  is  a  magnificent  view  over  the  lake 
country  northward  from  the  summit  of  the  pass.  This  Shaseki  Pass 
of  the  natives,  Chilkoot  of  the  miners,  Perrier  of  St4iwatka,  and  Dyea 
of  Ogilvie,  is  3,500  ft.  above  the  sea,  Chilkat  Pass  3,100  ft.,  and  While 
Pass  2,400  ft.  The  Lewis  River  flows  from  the  chain  of  lakes,  and  at 
Fort  Selkirk,  357  miles  from  Lake  Linderman,  unites  with  the  Pelli/, 
and  forms  the  Yukon,  which  flows  thence  2,000  miles  to  Bering  Sea, 
the  third  river  in  size  in  North  America. 

At  the  junction  of  the  Porcupine  River  the  Yukon  touches  the  Arc- 
tic Circle,  tlie  true  "  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun." 

Skagway  and  Dyea,  chief  points  of  departure  for  the  Upper  lu- 
kon  and  Klondike,  are  fully  described  in  the  chapter  at  the  end  of  the 
book.  The  following  is  the  table  of  distances  to  the  Yukon  mines,  as 
given  on  the  U.  S.  C.  and  G.  map,  No.  3100: 


Via  ChUkoot  Pass.  i 

9TAT.  MILES.  ! 

Seattle  to  Dyea l,!!.") 

Dyta  to  DawBon sa? 

Via  Stikine  liimr. 

Seattle  to  Wrangell R.54 

Wraiigell  to  Telegraph  (rwk.. ,      HO 
Telegraph  Creek  to  head  of  Tes- 

lin  Lake 227 

lioad  of  Teslin  Lake  to  Daw- 
son       525 


Via  St.  Michads  ami  Yukon  Jfirer. 

8TAT.  MILES. 

San  Francisco  to  Dii*c  i  L'arbour. .  2,345 

Seattle  to  Dutch  Harv,  ur l.ftW 

Dutch  Ilarlwur  to  8t.  MichaelB 750 

St.  Michaels  to  mouth  of  Yukon. . .       i)7 

Dawson 1,260 

"  Stewart  Kiver 1,321 

"  Fort  Selkirk 1,425 

"  Five  FinKcrltapids.  1,401 

"  Tesliti  River 1,612 

White  Horse  ItapidB  l,Ca7 


Small  steamers  have  ascended  to  the  foot  of  White  Horse  Rapids. 
The  Alaska  Conimeri;ial  Company,  of  San  Francisco,  chiefly  controls 
the  fur-trade  within  United  States  lines  from  its  ocean  post  at  St. 
Michaels,  Steel  steamers  on  the  small  lakes  and  a  fleet  of  river 
boats  give  quick  ccmnection  with  ^cean  steamers  at  St.  Michaels.  The 
country  ia  almost  destitute  of  game,  forest  tires  started  by  miners  hav- 
ing driven  animals  back  from  the  river ;  and  the  herds  of  moose  end 
reindeer  were  rapidly  exterminated  after  1867,  when  the  natives  first 
obtained  good  rifles  and  fired  at  everything  from  pure  wantonness. 
The  river  tribes  are  of  Athabascan  stock,  poor  and  degraded.  There 
are  Roman  Catholic  missions  at  Kosoriffsktf  and  Xulato,  and  an  Epis- 
copal mission  at  Auvik.  K..ig  salmon  5  and  6  ft.  in  length,  and 
weighing  as  much  as  120  pounds,  are  repcrted  as  crowding  the  Yukon; 


T 


g 


I 


I 


'-'» 


oO-" 


r^. 


•t  l:> 


68 
4U 


vif- 


f^J 


ISLANDS 

^rpANC'S  I, 

BY    I, 


4U 


5.^ 


30 


;x;-V.  xl  > 


''*'w.«l 


SKETCH  MAP  OF 
GLACIER  L"AY  AND  MUIR  GLACIER 

By  IIAUUY  FIKLDINO  REIP 


GLACIER  BAY. 


97 


red  Halmon  attain  great  size,  and  wild  fowl  gather  on  the  flats  in  in- 
credible numbers. 

The  head-waters  of  the  Yukon  were  first  discovercJ  by  H.  B.  Co. 
men  in  1840.  The  W.  U.  T.  Survey  explored  the  region  in  1865,  and 
Dr.  W.  11.  Dall  and  Frederick  Whyniper,  who  wintered  there,  have  fully 
described  it  in  their  works.  Captain  Raymond,  U.  S.  A.,  made  a  mili- 
tary rcconnoissance  in  1867,  when  he  obliged  the  H.  B.  Co.  to  remove 
to  British  territory.  A  pioneer  prospecting  party  crossed  the  Chil- 
koot  Pass  in  1880,  and  miners  have  gone  in  increasing  numbers  each 
season  since.  Lieutenant  Schwatka  crossed  the  Chilkoot  and  rafted 
his  way  to  the  sea  in  1883.  in  1880  the  U.S.  Coast  and  Geodetic 
Survey  despatched  the  Turner  and  McGrath  parties  to  definitely  deter- 
mine the  line  of  the  141st  meridian,  the  International  Boundary  Line. 
McGrath  placed  his  monument  a  little  W.  of  the  mouth  of  Forty-mile 
Creek,  and  1 3  miles  farther  E.  than  the  Canadian  monument  erected  by 
William  Ogilvie  in  1887. 

Glacier  Bay. 

Captain  Beardslee's  Glac  'jr  Bay,  the  Sitfh-fffia-ee,  or  "great  cold 
lake  "  of  the  Hoonahs,  indents  the  northern  shore  of  Icy  Strait,  ex- 
tending over  50  miles  from  N.  W.  to  S.  E  ,  and  is  from  6  to  10  miles 
wide.  There  are  strong  currents  in  the  strait  and  the  line  of  a  termi- 
nal moraine  forms  a  bar  off  the  bay's  mouth.  Steamers  often  anchor 
for  the  night  in  Excursion  Inld,  a  fev?  miles  E.  of  the  entrance,  or  at 
BartleiCs  Hay,  just  within  Point  Gitstavus.  The  cannery  established  at 
the  latter  place  in  1883  was  closed  for  many  seasons,  but  there  is  a 
Hoonah  salmon  camp  on  the  beach  each  summer  There  is  another 
summer  fishing  camp  in  Biry  Bail,  10  miles  above  Point  Carolm,  on 
the  W.  shore.  The  natives  only  visit  the  upper  reaches  in  search  of 
the  hair-seal,  which  delight  to  ride  arouud  on  the  ice-cakes.  Bears  are 
abiimlant  in  the  fr  rested  regions,  and  have  exterminated  the  deer,  as 
in  the  "hilkat  cruntry,  and  the  big  white  mountain-goat  is  found  on 
all  the  heig'iii.;.     No  salmon  are  found  beyond  the  islands. 


DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION   OF  GLACIER  BAY. 

Vancouver's  ships  were  anchored  at  Port  Althorp,  on  the  N.  W. 
shore  of  Chichagoff  Island,  while  Whidbey  and  Lemesurieur  explored 
the  regiim.  They  camped  at  Point  Carolus,  and  reported  that  to  the  N. 
and  E.  of  that  point  "  the  shores  of  the  continent  form  two  large  opei 
bays  which  were  terminated  [July  12,  1794)  by  compact,  solid  moun- 
tains of  ice  rising  perpendicularly  from  the  water's  edge,  and  bounded 
to  the  N.  by  a  continuation  of  the  united,  lofty,  frozen  mountains  that 
extend  eastward  from  Mt.  Fairweather.     In  these  bays  also  were  great 


98 


GLACIER  BAY. 


quantities  of  broken  ice,  which,  having  been  put  in  motion  by  the 
springing  up  of  a  northerly  wind,  were  drifted  to  the  southward." 

Tlie  "  frozen  mountains,"  as  he  termed  glaciers,  were  uncompre- 
hended  then,  and  his  scarcely  indented  coast-line  was  retained  in  Te- 
benkoff's  later  charts.  The  Russian  traders  named  Icy  Strait,  and, 
dreading  its  currents  and  icebergs,  kept  close  to  the  S.  shore,  and 
never  knew  the  bay. 

In  1869,  Kloh-Kutz  told  Prof.  Pavidson  of  a  great  bay  full  of 
glaciers  lying  30  miles  to  westwo.d  of  the  Davidson  Glacier,  one  day's 
journey  on  snow-shoes.  In  1877  Lieutenant  C.  E.  S.  Wood,  while  seal 
and  goat  hunting  after  the  forced  abandonment  of  Mr.  Charles  Tay- 
lor's plan  to  climb  Mt.  St.  Elias,  canoed  about  this  "  great  bay  20 
miles  S.  E.  of  Mt.  Fairwcather,"  and  crossed  by  the  Muir  Glacier  to 
Chilkat  *  In  October,  1879,  the  glaciers  were  really  discovered  and 
made  known  to  the  world  by  John  Muir,  the  California  geologist,  who 
had  before  that  discovered  the  residual  glaciers  of  the  Sierras.  He  ca- 
noed its  length  with  the  Rev.  Hall  Young,  and  spent  a  few  days  f  near 
the  Pacific  Glacier,  and  lectured  that  winter  about  "  the  Fairwcather 
glacier:*.''  In  September,  1880,  Mr.  Muir  returned  alone  and  spent  .«cv. 
eral  weeks  exploring  and  enjoying  the  glacier  afterward  named  in  his 
honour.  In  July,  Captain  L.  A.  Boardslee,  U.  S.  N.,  had  entered 
the  bay  in  the  trading  steamer  Favourite,  accompanied  by  Cozian,  the 
famous  Russian  pilot,  who  had  never  heard  of  the  bay  before,  and  by 
Dick  Willoughby,  who  was  living  in  a  Hoonah  village  in  Cross  Sound. 
Captain  Beardslee  went  as  far  as  Willougiiby  Island,  when  fog  shut 
down  and  the  owner  of  the  chartered  steamer  insisted  on  returning. 
He  charted  the  lower  part  of  the  bay,  and  by  dint  of  pcnsistent  argu- 
ment had  the  name  of  Glacier  Bay  accepted  by  the  Coast  Survey.  He 
gave  a  tracing  of  his  chart  to  Captain  JriHies  Carroll,  who  took  the 
mail  steamer  Idaho  up  the  bay  in  July,  1883,  found  the  glacier  John 
Muir  had  described,  and  named  both  inlet  and  ice-stream  for  him. 

Tourists  have  been  taken  to  Aliiir  Glacier  by  that  same  course 
every  summer,  and  the  next  discoveries  in  the  bay  were  made  by  Cap- 
tain Carroll  in  August,  1892,  when  he  took  the  Queen  to  the  front  of 
the  Pacific  Glacier,  and  found  the  jiicturesque  and  unsuspected 
Johns  Hopkins,  Rendu,  and  Carroll  Glaciers  as  nr.med  by  Prof. 
Reid.     The  Coast  Survey  has  not  yet  (1893)  charted  the  bay. 


INDIAN  TRADITIONS. 

The  lloonahs  could  not  tell  anything  of  the  glacier  that  the  scored 
hillsides,  the  windrows  of  old  terminal  moraines,  whether  as  islands  or 
shoals,  did  not  more  plainly  declare.  They  feared  -ind  kept  away 
from  the  region  fraught  with  terrors  and  dangers,  and  only  seal  and 
goat  hunters  ventured  near.     They  say  that  in  their  "  fathers'  time  " — 

*  See  Century  Magazine,  July,  1882. 

+  See  N.  P.  folder  Alaska,  by  John  Muir ;  Century  Magazine,  June, 
1896  ;  National  Geographic  Magazine,  April,  1896, 


GLACIEK   BAY. 


99 


an  indeterminate  period,  as  often  CO  as  250  years  before — the  ice 
reached  to  Bartlett's  Bay.  About  1860  it  was  in  line  with  Willoughby 
Island.  "  Long,  long  ago "  the  glacier  advanced  and  swept  away 
Klemshawshiki,  "  the  city  on  the  sand  at  the  base  of  the  mountains," 
where  the  Beardslee  Islands  now  rise.  "  It  came  down  in  a  day  and  it 
did  not  go  away  in  ten  years,"  they  say,  telling  how  the  ice  floods  de- 
scended, plowed  up  their  fields,  destroyed  their  houses,  as  the  Corner 
glacier  once  devastated  its  valley.  Again,  a  great  wave  rushed  in 
from  the  ocean,  swept  away  the  village  near  Bartlett  Bay,  mowed  down 
the  forests  with  icebergs,  and  left  no  living  thing.  They  remember, 
too,  that  a  glacier  once  crept  down  and  dammed  up  their  best  salmon 
stream.  Two  slaves  were  offered  up,  and  Sitth-too-Yehk  relented,  the 
barrier  melted,  and  the  tyee  gaily  leaped  again. 


SCIENTISTS'  CAMPS. 

In  1886,  Prof.  G.  Frederick  Wright,  of  Obcrlin.  Ohio,  Rev.  J.  L. 
Patton,  of  Greenville,  Mich.,  and  Mr.  Prentiss  Baldwin,  of  Cleveland, 
camped  for  a  month  on  the  E.  moraine,  two  miles  below  the  ice  front. 
By  observations  m.idc  on  pinnacles  of  ice  fixed  in  memory.  Prof. 
Wright  figured  an  advance  of  70  ft.  a  day,  and  included  the  results  of 
his  studies  in  the  first  chapters  of  The  Ice  Age  in  North  America  (D. 
Appleton  &  Co.,  New  York). 

In  1890,  Joim  Muir  camped  for  three  months  on  the  east  moraine, 
joined  by  Prof.  Hiury  Fielding  Reid,  of  the  Case  School  of  Applied 
Sciences,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  who  had  associated  with  him  Messrs.  II.  P. 
Cuahing,  H.  M.  McBride,  R.  L.  Casement,  C.  A.  Adams,  and  J.  F. 
Morse.  They  built  a  substantial  cabin  a  half  mile  below  the  ice  wall 
with  a  noble  chimney  of  glacier-cut  stones  cemented  with  glacier  mud, 
and  from  this  home  station  explored  every  part  and  arm  of  the  glacier. 
They  mapped  the  glacial  region  by  plane  table  from  the  higher  .statics.* 

Prof.  Reid  measured  his  base-line  on  the  west  moraine  and  trian- 
gulated the  heights  of  his  stations ;  a  line  of  red  and  black  flags  was 
set  across  the  living  stream,  and  sets  of  observations  taken  from  sta- 
tion E  on  the  ridge  of  Mt.  Wright  and  from  K  on  the  opposite  spur,  3 
miles  apart.  The  result  of  this  careful  work  reduced  the  glacier's  pace 
to  about  7  ft.  a  day  in  nnd-stream.f  The  little  company  were  a  board 
of  geographic  names  and  aptly  baptized  the  landmarks  found  on  the 
map,  and  their  work  is  accepted  as  final  and  exact  by  all  scientists  and 
specialists. 

In  1891  a  pleasure  party  of  seven,  including  the  artist,  T.  J.  Rich- 
ardson, Mr.  C.  S.  Johnson,  a  hunter  of  big  game,  two  ladies,  a  maid 


*  See  "Studies  of  Mulr  (Jlacler  in  Alaska,"  by  Harry  Fielding  Roid, 
National  Geographic  Magazine,  March,  1892.  "Notes  on  the  Muir 
Glacier,"  by  H.  P.  Cushing,  American  Geologist,  October,  1891,  and 
March,  1893. 

f  Tl'c  Mer  de  Glace  advan-'es  33  Inches  a  day,  the  Aletsch  19 
inchea,  the  Svartesen  12  inches,  and  the  Selkirk  Glacier  12  inches. 


100 


OLACIEK  BAY. 


and  small  boy,  made  the  cabin  a  summer  home.  In  1892  Prof.  Reld 
devoted  another  season  to  mapping,  exploring,  and  studying  ice  move* 
ment. 

Itinerary  of  the  Bay  and  Inlet. 

The  shores  of  Glacier  Bay  are  densely  forested  for  20  miles 
above  the  entrance.  The  Beardilee  Islands,  cres;  .  of  so  many  terminal 
moraines  are  low,  green  gardens  that  successively  illustrate  the 
stages  of  afforestation.  Willoughby  Island,  a  solid  limestone  mass  3J 
miles  long,  from  a  half  to  three-quarters  of  a  mile  wide,  and  1,500 
ft.  high,  named  for  the  old  Alaska  prospector,  marks  the  gateway 
to  the  glacial  region.  Francis  Island,  named  for  the  Govern- 
ment pilot,  and  the  site  of  palteozoic  fossil  remains,  lies  N.  W.  of  Wil- 
loughby Island,  close  to  the  same  western  shore.  Geikie  Inlet,  which 
opens  from  the  W.  shore  just  above  Fran'^is  Island,  holds  the  Geikie 
and  the  Wood  (Lieut.  C.  E.  S.)  Olacierf,  at  the  end  of  its  long  rock 
cutting. 

Mt.  La  Perouse,  11,300  ft.,  Aft.  Crillon,  15,900,  and  Mt.  Fair- 
weather,  15,500  ft.,  are  visible  from  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  and  the 
snows  of  the  Crillon  and  Fairweatber  summits  feed  the  great  glaciers 
that  slope  from  their  height?  to  the  bay.  Mt.  Fairweatber  shows 
the  same  pummit  cntlinc  as  Mt.  Rainier  and  Mt.  St.  Ellas,  and  this 
triple-crowned  peak,  the  sharply  cut  Gable  Alouniain  and  the  attend- 
ant white  host,  with  every  foot  of  their  elevation  from  sea-lcval  to 
summit  visible,  omplete  one  of  the  sublimest  mountain  views 
in  the  world.  Of  the  great  glaciers  pouring  to  the  upper  bay,  the 
Geikie,  the  Hugh  Miller,  and  the  Pacific  were  named  by  their  first 
visitor,  John  Muir,  and  the  Wood,  the  Charpentier,  the  Johns  Hopkins, 
the  Rendu,  and  the  Carroll  Glaciers  by  Prof.  Roid.  This  end  of  the 
bay  is  usually  so  blocked  by  ice  that  canoes  rarely,  and  only  one  steam- 
er, have  navigated  it.  There  is  a  large  bay  on  the  E.  shore,  below  the 
mouth  of  Muir  Inlet.  The  last  forest  may  be  noted  at  this  point,  a 
moss-hung,  dark,  mysterious  place,  among  whose  venerable  spruces 
John  Muir  found  his  richest  botanical  field. 


Muir  Inlet  and  the  Great  Muir  Glacier. 

Mair  Inlet,  5  miles  long  and  If  to  3  miles  wide,  opens  on  the  E. 
shore  20  miles  above  Bartlett  Bey.  It  stretches  due  N.  and  S.,  the 
Muir  Glacier  walling  the  end  with  a  line  of  ice-cliffs  9,200  ft.  or 
1}  mile  in  length,  rising  100  and  260  ft.  from  the  water,  and  extending, 


Reid 
move* 


mileH 
minal 
e  the 
giss  3} 
1,500 
teway 
ovcm- 
f  Wil- 
which 
Geikie 
I  rock 

Fair- 

nd  the 
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theE. 
S.,  the 
ft.  or 
;nding, 


GLACIER   BAY. 


101 


it  is  believed,  some  900  ft.  below  the  surface  of  the  sea  in  a  long,  plough- 
shaped  forefoot.  The  vast  ice  plain  slopes  back  at  a  grade  of  100  ft, 
to  the  mile  to  the  mountains,  10  and  13  miles  distant  from  the  inlet. 
The  Muir  Glacier,  58"  50'  N.,  and  136"  8'  W.,  drains  an  area  of 
800  square  miles.  The  actual  ice  surface  covers  about  360  square 
miles,  the  mass  of  it  35  miles  long  and  10  to  15  miles  wide,  lying  but 
a  few  hundred  feet  above  sea-level.  It  is  fed  by  26  tributary  streams, 
7  of  wh'ch  are  over  a  mile  in  width.  If  all  their  affluents  were  named 
and  c-uu.ited,  as  in  Switzerland,  the  Muir  might  boast  200  branches  or 
glaciers  in  its  system.  The  mountain  gateway,  2}  miles  wide,  through 
which  it  pours  to  the  sea,  is  formed  by  spurs  of  Mt.  Case  (5,510  ft.) 
and  Mt.  Wright  (4,944  ft.)  on  the  E.,  and  a  spur  of  the  sharply  cut 
Pyramid  Peak  on  the  W.  All  the  mountains  immediately  surround- 
ing  the  glacier  average  from  4,000  to  6,000  ft.  in  height.  The  main 
stream  of  the  Muir  flows  from  the  N.  W.,  rising  in  nevh  40  miles 
distant.  The  main  current  of  this  magnificently  crevassed  and  broken 
ice  pours  through  the  great  plain  at  a  rate  of  about  7  ft.  a  day.  All 
efP'jrta  to  cross  it  within  10  miles  back  from  the  water  front  have 
failed,  but  many  believe  it  possible."  * 

Seven  medial  moraines  stretch  away  in  dark  fan-rib  lines  from  the 
front,  rising  in  terraces  on  the  ice  and  indicating  the  course  and  source 
of  chief  tributaries.  Lateral  moraines  extend  in  crumbling  bluffs  and 
gravel  terraces  for  3  miles  down  either  side  of  the  inlet. 

Ships  do  not  approach  the  ice  wall  nearer  than  an  eighth  of  a  mile, 
because  of  the  masses  of  ice  fulling  from  its  face  with  terrific  noise 
and  agitation  of  the  water,  and  of  submarine  bergs  detached  from  the 
sunken  forefoot  and  rising  to  the  surface  with  tremendous  force. 
Soundings  of  86  and  120  fathoms  have  been  made  within  100  yards  of 

*  Of  the  Norwegian  glaciers,  which  may  be  most  fairly  used  for 
comparison  with  the  Muir,  the  Jostedalbrae,  the  largest  glacier  in  Eu- 
rope, lies  3'  N.  of  the  Muir,  at  an  elevation  of  3,000  ft.  above  the  sea, 
and  covers  470  square  miles.  It  is  an  ice-cap  on  the  top  of  a  range, 
with  five  arms  flowing  down  and  one  reaching  within  150  ft.  of  sealevel. 
The  Svartm-n,  the  show  glacier  of  the  Norway  coast,  8  N.  of  the 
Muir,  and  on  the  line  of  the  Arctic  Circle,  is  an  ice  mantle  44  miles 
long  and  12  to  26  miles  wide,  occupying  a  plateau  4,000  ft.  above  the 
sea.  The  arm  in  Melii,  visited  by  North  Cape  tourists,  does  not  reach 
tide-water.  The  Swiss  glaciers,  all  lying  from  4,000  and  6,000  ft. 
above  the  sea  are  like  those  of  Mt.  Rainier,  and  in  no  way  to  be  com- 
pared to  the  Muir,  20  of  whose  arms  each  exceed  the  Mer  de  Glace  in 
size. 


102 


GLACIER   BAY. 


the  ice  wall.  Every  break  reveals  surfaces  of  intcn^cst  clear  blue  ice, 
which  quickly  weathers  to  opacjue  whiteness  and  coarse  granular  snow. 
The  enormous  pressure  comJenses  the  original  snow  flakes  to  this  clear, 
transparent  ice,  which  is  often  umber  and  darkest  green  with  morainal 
matter.  Bergs  200  ft.  in  length,  60  and  70  ft.  high,  only  one  seventh 
of  a  berg  being  visible,  ire  often  seen  near  the  front,  but  break  apart 
and  grind  together  as  they  sail  down  the  bay,  and  avalanches  of  loose 
particles  covor  the  bay  with  "  mush  ice  "  for  miles.* 

Steamers  usually  anchor  one  fourth  of  a  mile  below  the  E.  end  of 
the  ice  wall.  P.  C.  S.  S.  Co.'s  ships  usually  remain  six  or  eight  hours, 
taking  advantage  of  the  tide  in  entering  and  leaving  the  bay  when 
possible  and  landing  their  passengers.  Vessels  of  British  register  can- 
not land  passengers,  owing  to  U.  S.  customs  regulations.  A  well- 
built  trail  and  board  walk  lead  over  the  bluff  and  the  quicksands  of 
glacial  mud  in  the  moraine  to  the  surfu^  u  of  the  ice,  which  is  there  a 
rolling  white  prairie,  over  which  a  regiment  of  cavalry  might  deploy, 
and  where  future  tourists  will  travel  on  sleds,  or  even  horses.  There 
are  no  dangers  to  require  the  ice-axe,  roj)e,  creepers,  or  extraordinary 
costumes,  unless  the  traveller  goes  out  of  his  way  and  seeks  them  in 
the  crevass'-'d  regions  of  mid-stream.  Rubber  shoes  are  a  necessity, 
but  are  quickly  cut  by  the  sharp  ice  crystals. 

The  Dirt  Glacier,  filling  the  canon  between  Mt.  Case  and  Mt. 
Wright,  is  a  treacherous  place  full  of  sinkholes  and  quicksands  of 
glacier  mud,  where  boulders  reel  and  sink  beneath  one,  and  the  fine 
"  mineral  paste  and  mountain  meal "  make  a  sticky,  slippery  com- 
pound that  hardens  like  cement.  It  is  worth  walking  far  out  on  the 
ice  to  see  the  splendid  White  Glacier,  4  miles  long  and  a  half  mile 
wide,  sweeping  from  the  E.  side  of  Mt.  Case  with  a  black  serpent  of  a 
medial  moraine  curving  down  its  dazzling  slope.  The  eastern  arm  has 
almost  no  motion,  and  melting  zO  ft.  of  its  surface  each  year  is  fast 
uncovering  7mna(afcs,  or  islands  in  the  ice. 

The  slate  knobs  peeping  through  the  ice  abreast  of  Mt.  Case,  8 
miles  from  the  beach,  are  known  as  the  "  Dumplings  "  ;  the  red  granite 
nunatak,  a  mile  beyond,  at  the  edge  of  the  swift-moving  crevasned  ice, 
is  the  tourist's  "  Mouse,"  800  ft.  in  height.  The  "  Hat,"  4  miles  across, 
on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  raging  ice  torrent,  is  1,855  ft.  Both  are 
easily  climbed  by  crevices  or  canons  in  their  sides  and  command  mag- 

*  Captain  C.  L.  Hooper  notes  that  in  the  Pacific  arctic,  off  the  Si- 
berian and  Alaska  coast,  20  ft.  is  the  average  of  the  highest  i;:c  met. 


GLACIER  BAY. 


103 


nificcnt  views  of  the  glacier,  its  branchen,  the  surrounding  mountains, 
and  the  inlet.  The  Mouho  is  easily  reached  on  steamer  days  by  grK)d 
walkers,  who,  keeping  well  to  the  right  until  past  the  Dirt  Glacier, 
may  follow  an  air-line  to  its  base  without  having  to  turn  aside  for  a 
crevasse.  There  are  lakes,  blooming  epilobium,  and  tattered  driftwood 
in  its  recesses.  The  whole  surface  is  brilliantly  polished,  and  ava- 
lanches of  pebbles  are  fretpient.  A  cairn  on  the  highest  point  is 
Prof.  Reid's  flag  station  H,  and  cards  of  climbers  will  be  found  in 
tins  and  bottles.  A  field  glass  will  show  the  ancient  spruce-trees  grow- 
ing  on  Tree  Mount,  2,7uO  ft.,  and  0  miles  due  E.,  a  "  Foret,"  correspond- 
ing to  the  "Jardin"  of  the  Mer  de  Glace.  The  triple-crowned  A/i!. 
Young  is  16  miles  distant,  and  on  its  other  side  are  the  feeders  of  the 
Davidson  Glacier  in  Lynn  Canal.  Endkott  Lake  at  its  base,  and  Berg 
Dike  N.  of  it,  are  miniatures  of  tlie  glacier's  inlet  front,  replicas  of  the 
MargcUen  Zee  in  the  Aletsch  Glacier  which  moved  Prof.  TjTidall  to 
such  raptures.  These  lakes  are  not  seen  from  the  Mouse,  but  a 
glass  shows  the  Girdled  Glacier.  The  extraordinary  moraine  with 
two  ends  and  no  present  beginning  runs  from  the  Dumplings  to  the 
brink  of  the  ice-cliffs  on  Berg  Lake,  a  glacial  phenomenon  discovered 
by  Prof.  Muir.  Snow  Dome,  Bed  ^ft.,  Bluck  Aft.,  and  Galtle  Mt,  are 
easily  identified  on  the  N.,  and  magnificent  ice  falls,  cliains  of  nuuataks 
and  eddies  over  uncovering  islands,  may  be  studied,  while  at  one's  feet 
is  the  broken,  tempc stuous  ice-stream,  so  evidently  in  action  that  one 
listens  for  its  roar  and  to  see  the  great  ice  waves  comb  over  and  scat- 
ter their  spray.  The  silence  is  profound,  and  the  north  wind  that 
blows  perpetually  with  the  current  of  the  ice-stream  makes  no  sound. 

The  Morse,  Cashing,  McBride*  Casement,  and  Adams 
Cilaciers  were  named  by  Prof.  Muir  <  ■\  'eserved  recognition  of  the 
excellent  work  of  those  members  of  his  .  iif  of  1890  in  exploring  these 
main  tributaries  of  the  Muir. 


The  Lateral  Moraines. 

It  is  an  easy  walk  up  the  east  beach  to  the  base  of  the  ice-cliffs 
whose  wings  override  the  gravel-bed  of  an  older  moraine,  and  hold 
many  spruce  and  alder  twigs.  As  falling  bergs  send  great  waves 
across  the  inlet,  it  is  a  little  dangerous  to  follow  the  beach  at  lugh  tide. 
Six  Iloonah  hunters  were  swept  from  the  narrow  footway  by  a  berg 
wave  a  few  seasons  since,  and  incautious  visitors  have  many  times  been 
drenched  knee  deep.    There  are  quicksands  at  the  water's  edge,  and 


104 


GLACIER  BAY. 


the  crumbling  blufTri  and  melting  ice-cliffH  launch  tonii  of  Hand,  boulders 
and  ice-blocks  witiiout  warning.  A  roaring  torrent  emergcH  from  an 
ice  cafion  at  the  end  of  the  beach  and  prevents  (1891-'92-'93)  access 
to  caves  at  the  base  of  the  ice  wall  as  formerly.  Mony  subglucial 
streams  boil  up  at  the  base  of  the.-^e  cliffs,  and  these  fierce  torrents  fill 
the  air  with  a  steady  undertone  like  the  boorn  of  the  Yoseniite  Fall. 
The  tide-full  of  16  ft,  leaves  a  dark-blue  base-line  by  which  one  may  esti- 
mate the  heights  above. 

A  considerable  stream,  the  Eiuit  River,  drains  the  extreme  flank  of 
the  glacier,  and  reaches  the  inlet  a  half  mile  below  the  ice.  On  its 
farther  bank  there  is  a  large  flat  covt  ^  with  driftwood,  mainly 
spruce,  and  in  hollows  in  the  gravel  tcr  there  are  the  stumps  of 

large   spruce-trees,  whose   fringed  Ubn  of  an  oversweeping  ice 

sheet.  Streams  are  uncovering  other  buried  spruce  groves,  and  one 
such  is  disclosed  on  the  beach  below  high-tide  mark.  Shrimps,  shells 
of  spider  crabs,  and  sea-weed  are  found  on  this  beach.  The  whole 
perpendicular  front  of  Mt.  Wright  is  scored  and  grooved  to  a  height 
of  2,000  ft.,  which,  with  the  spruce  and  alder  stumps  found  in  the 
older  moraine  beneath  the  ice-wings,  prove  that  the  glacier  has  ad- 
vanced and  receded  in  times  past  with  different  climatic  conditions. 
The  whole  glacial  basin  was  possibly  once  a  forest,  and  salmon  streams 
frolicked  in  all  the  tributary  canons.  At  another  time  there  was  one 
vast  sea  of  ice  over  all  tlie  region,  and  the  battlemented  summit  of  Mt. 
Wright  was  but  a  nunatak. 

On  the  West  Moraine  the  draining  stream  is  much  larger,  and  a 
tributary  has  uncovered  a  buried  spruce  forest  whose  stumps  are  10 
and  15  ft.  in  height.  The  rounded  arch  of  the  tunnel  from  which  the 
stream  flowed  in  1883  has  fallen  in,  and  it  is  a  long  and  wearisome  ap- 
proach to  the  surface  of  the  ice  on  that  side. 


THE  KATE  OF  RECESSION. 

Rain  weathers  and  breaks  away  the  ice  most  rapidly,  and  during  a 
close  watch  maintained  by  the  writer  in  July  and  August,  1891,  it  did 
not  seem  that  the  stages  of  the  tide  had  any  connection  with  the  fall 
of  ice.  On  many  warm,  clear  days,  when  a  hot  sun  fell  upon  the  ice 
front  for  16  and  18  hours  continuously,  there  was  no  sound.  After 
days  of  silence  came  tremendous  displays,  one  quarter  and  one  third  of 
the  long  wall  falling  away  at  once.  These  falls  often  occurred  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  and  frequently  at  daybreak,  contraction  in  the 
colder  hours  seeming  to  free  most  bergs. 

By  photographic  evidence  the  glacier  receded  more  than  1,000  yards 


GLACIER 


BAY. 


106 


between  Prof.  Wright's  visit  of  18ft«  and  Prof.  Reid's  first  camp  in 
1890.  Pliotcgrapbs  taken  by  the  writer  in  1891  showed  a  retreat  of 
800  yards  in  the  next  year.  Prof.  Miiir  recognized  a  retreat  of  a  mile 
between  his  visits  of  1880  and  1890,  and  the  writer  was  as  much  be- 
wildered l)y  tiie  nmrl^ed  dianges  occurring  between  1883  and  1890.  In 
1894  and  1896  the  ice  was  still  retreating. 

The  Ascent  of  MU  Wright,  to  the   Hanging  Gardens  and 
Mountain-(>oat  Pastures* 

By  crossing  the  East  River,  following  the  tributary  stream  that  de- 
scends the  steep  ravim  ,n  the  right,  and  cliuibing  by  the  boulder-filled 
crevices  on  its  north  wall  the  tourist  may  reach  the  lung  spur  of  JWt. 
Wright.  Professor  Reid's  cairn  and  flag  Station  E,  at  the  brink  over- 
looking the  glacier's  front  wall,  command  a  magnificent  view.  Station  E 
may  be  reached  in  two  and  a  half  hoin-s  from  the  landing,  when  the  bridge 
near  the  cabin  allows  East  River  to  be  crossed  at  that  point.  An  easy 
slope  through  knee-deep  lupin-beds,  over  acres  of  bryanthus,  butter- 
cups, forget-me-nots,  violets,  blue-bells,  gentians,  geums,  asters,  and 
golden-rod  leads  from  Station  E  to  a  3,000-foot  terrace  extending 
south  a  couple  of  miles  and  commanding  views  of  all  the  inlet  and 
lower  bay,  out  to  the  Chichagoff  shore.  This  region  is  the  favourite  pas- 
ture of  mountain-goats ;  hoof-marks  and  tufts  of  wool  are  seen  all  the 
way,  ptarmigan  run  beside  one,  and  marmots  whistle  on  every  side. 
During  the  weeks  the  writer  spent  at  Muir  Glacier  in  1891,  the  hunters 
kept  the  camp  larder  well  supplied  from  this  lofty  game  preserve.  The 
view  from  this  second  terrace  (3,000  ft.).  Flag  Station  V,  is  best  in  the 
early  morning,  when  Mts.  Crillon,  Im  Peroime,  and  Fairweather  are  clearly 
cut  on  the  western  sky.  The  Fairweather  group  hides  any  view  of  Mt. 
St.  Elias,  100  miles  distant.  Station  E  commands  the  finest  view  of 
Mt.  Case's  dark,  red-purple,  slate  mass,  its  velvety  patches  of  vege- 
tation and  its  jewelled  glacier  gleandng  high  on  its  shoulder. 

By  photographs  taken  from  Station  E,  in  189()-'91-'92,  Professor 
Reid  has  been  able  to  note  very  closely  the  rate  of  recession.  Tourists 
sufficiently  interested  in  glacial  phenomena  to  climb  to  that  outlook  with 
cameras  may  assist  this  study  by  forwarding  such  pictures,  wi*'.  dates 
attached,  to  Professor  H.  F.  Reid,  care  of  Secretary  of  National  Geo- 
graphic Society,  Washington,  D.  C.  Photographs  from  V,  from  M,  on  the 
beach  close  to  Muir's  cabin,  and  from  A  B  on  the  bluff  S.  of  the  mouth 
of  West  River  on  the  west  side  of  the  Inlet,  will  also  assist  in  the  record. 
Auroras,  Mirage,  and  the  Phantom  City. — Brilliant  auroral  displays 


106 


GLACTER   BAT. 


are  often  witnessed  in  August,  and  mirages  frequently  appear.  By 
refraction  the  ico-flocs  are  often  magnified  into  ice-cliffs  1,000  ft. 
high,  apparently  barring  a  ship'.s  retreat  southward.  The  so-called 
Phantom  oi  Silent  City  was  a  hoax  of  Dick  Willoughby's  in  1889. 
iliousaniw  of  prints  from  a  cloudy  negative  of  Bristol,  England,  were 
sold,  upjn  his  statement  that  he  had  seen  and  photographed  the  city 
from  Glacier  Bay. 

Amateur  photographer:*  will  find  it  aimoxt  impossible  to  secure  a 
&harn  negative  of  a  mirage.  The  lines  of  glimmering  ic  cwffs  leave 
no  definition  or  shadow,  waver  and  fade  quickly.  The  reflected  light 
from  these  glaciers  and  .smw-fields  misleads  even  professional  photog- 
raphers to  over-expose  their  negatives.  The  smaller  stops  in  a  lens 
are  often  sufficient  for  an  instantaneous  exposure,  and  such  exposures 
may  be  successfully  made  with  ordinary  stops  on  cloudy  days.  In 
weak  sunliglit  the  lens  should  be  stopped  down,  and  in  the  de\  loping- 
room  the  bromide  should  be  in  hand. 

Oil  the  Mainland  Shore  of  Cross  Sound. 

Dundas  Bay  and  Tayhr  Bay,  W.  of  Glacier  Bay,  contain  tide- 
water glaciers  and  are  favourite  sealing-grounds  of  the  natives,  who 
bittc!;-  resented  the  ine\irsion  of  Tsimsian  seal-poachers  w\  1880 
The  Isimsians  were  driven  (/flf,  but  threaten  ''  to  return  with  90 
canoes  and  exterminate  the  Hoonahs.  By  the  iiuervcntion  of  Captain 
Beardslee,  U.  S.  X.,  and  Dr.  Powell,  Irdian  Commissioner  for  British 
Columbia,  an  impending  wa.'  of  all  the  coas;  tribes  was  averted,  and 
the  Tsimsians  were  tlutatened  with  severe  punyjliinent  if  any  more 
poacliing  should  be  reported.  The  glacier  in  Taylor  Bay  wa.s  visited 
by  Mr.  Charles  Taylor  and  Lieutenant  C.  E.  S.  Wood  in  1877,  and 
explored  by  John  Muir  in  1880.  Its  front  and  slope  are  seen  at  lonj^ 
range  from  ships  passing  through  Cross  Sound 

The  C'hichagofl'  Island  Shores. 

Chichagolf  Island,  named  for  the  Russian  navigator  who  first 
attempted  to  find  a  .Northeast  Passage  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific, 
is  least  known  of  the  greater  islands  of  the  arcliipelago.  It  is  about  70 
miles  iong,  with  an  average  breadth  of  40  niiies.  CVo.«s  Sound,  lead- 
iv.g  in  from  the  ocean  on  the  N.,  was  named  by  Captain  Cook  on  Holy 
Cross  Day,  May  3,  1778.  I'ort  Althorp,  within  its  entrance,  was  Van- 
couver's anchorpge  for  several  weeks  in  1793.     Idaho  Inlet,  E.  of 


*-•    *.' 


GLACIER  BAY. 


107 


Port  Althorp,  was  discovered  by  Captain  James  Carroll,  July,  1883, 
upon  Dick  Willoughby's  assurance  that  it  was  a  broad  forty-fathom 
channel  leading  to  the  op  m.  ocean  N.  of  Salisbury  Pound,  frequently 
traversed  by  himself.  The  Idaho  ran  aground  a  few  miles  from  the 
entrance  in  waters  alive  with  salmon  and  flounders,  between  shores 
where  deer  wandered  in  plain  sight,  and  many  boar-tracks  could  be 
seen.     A  saltcry  built  in  1884  was  closed  after  a  few  years. 

The  Hoonahs  (Iloon,  "  the  north  wind,"  and  iah,  "lake  "),  inhabit- 
ing Chichagoff  Island  and  the  shores  of  Icy  Strait,  have  been  longest 
preserved  from  contact  with  white  civilization.  They  have  had  a 
bad  name  from  earliest  times.  In  1862  they  seized  the  II.  B.  Co.'s 
ship  Labouchere  at  Swanson's  Harbour,  imprisoned  the  captain  and 
crew,  and  looted  the  vessel  completely.  It  was  not  the  M.  B.  Co.'s 
policy  to  retaliaie  and  injure  the  fur-trade,  and  they  passed  by  Hoonah 
anchorages  for  several  seasons.  Ambassadors  besought  the  resump- 
tion of  trade,  and  when  the  "  fire  canoe  "  came  again  the  whole  tribe 
joined  in  the  water  parade,  tlie  songs  and  dances  of  peace,  filled  the 
sir  with  the  eagle  down  of  peace,  and  carpeted  the  deck  with  potlatch 
ttter-skins.  In  1867  the  thief  in  his  war-canoes  met  the  U.  S.  revenue 
cutior  Lincoln,  but  was  not  allowed  on  board.  "  You  come  Icy  Strait. 
Me  give  you  big  fight !  "  the  chief  bawled  in  Chinook  as  he  left. 

The  Hoonahs  numbered  about  1,000  in  1869.  In  1880  there  were 
908  enumerated,  and  in  1890  only  690.  Their  chief  village  of  Kom- 
tokton  in  Port  Frederick,  has  been  known  as  lioonah  P.  0.  since  the 
mission  and  Government  day  school  was  established.  Tt  numbered 
438  inhabitants  in  18f»0.  The  smaller  village  of  Klookukboo  has  but 
16  inhabitants.  Lieutenant  C.  E.  S.  Wood,  in  the  Century  Magazine, 
July,  1882,  and  Captain  Boardslee,  in  his  Forest  and  Stream  letters  of 
1  '78-'79,  have  given  interesting  descriptions  of  Komtukton,  the  Hoo- 
nahs, and  their  legjiids. 

Tie  finest  halibut gmnda  in  the  archipelago  a-c  those  off  Point 
Adolphus. 

As  soon  as  the  ice  breaks,  in  March,  a  hundred  canoes  are  seen 
fishing  among  the  floes.  Captain  Buardslce  and  one  other  angler 
caught  47  halibut  averaging  40  pounds  each  in  one  hour  in  J  ily,  after 
the  regular  halib\it  season.  One  lioonah  managed  the  canoe,  clubbed 
and  gaffed  the  fish,  caught  with  salmon  bait  and  native  tackle.  Tlin- 
gil  halibut  hooks,  lines,  and  clubs  are  most  ingeniously  and  often 
richly  decorated.  The  lines  are  made  of  the  giant  kelp  (nercocystis\ 
which  often  grows  to  a  length  of  30(i  ft.  in  ti.ie-swept  channels.  It 
is  S')aked  and  bleached  in  fresh  water,  and  then  stretched,  dried, 
smoked,  and  worked  until  it  is  as  firm  as  leather  but  pliable  as  silk. 
The  foot-long  hook  is  cut  from  the  heart  of  spruce  cr  cedar  'oots — 


4 


108 


FKOM   CHATHAM   STRAIT  TO   THE   OCEAN. 


for  the  halibut  can  detect  the  taste  of  resin — and  this  hook  as  well  as 
the  club  are  carved  with  the  owner's  totem  and  other  sifrnificant  de- 
vices bound  to  ensure  the  fisherman's  luck.  With  such  tackle,  a  lone 
fishemoan  can  haul  up  and  quiet  even  a  200.pounder ;  but  chicken 
halibut,  weighing  30  or  40  pounds,  are  the  choice,  and  70-pounder8  the 


There  is  a  canoe  Tjortage  from  Port  Frederick  to  the  Tenalcee  Pas- 
aoffe,  leading  into  Chatham  Strait.  There  are  hot  sulphur  springs  on 
the  passage,  long  resorted  to  by  the  natives,  and  a  chosen  winter  camp- 
ground of  miners.  There  are  also  hot  sulphur  springs  on  the  W. 
coast  of  Chichagoff,  between  Cape  Edward  ana  Lisianski  Strait, 
strong  sulphur  water  bubbling  up  in  natural  rock  pools  on  the  beach. 

From  Chatham  Strait  to  the  Ocean  by  Peril  or  Po- 

gibshi  Straits. 

Peril  Straits,  the  Tlingits'  Koo-le-tchika  (a  dangerous  channel), 
40  miles  in  length,  bend  in  a  great  bov.  xrom  Chatham  Strait  to  Salis- 
bury Sound,  separating  Chichagoff  and  Baranof  Ldands.  It  is  a  famous 
landscape  repch,  and  at  the  two  narrows  there   are  strong  tidal  rapids. 

Th'?  east  half  of  the  straits  is  a  broad,  smooth  water-way  for  18 
miles,  narrowing  beyond  the  opening  of  lloonah  Sound  on  the  north 
shore.  Deadman*s  Reacii  is  the  smooth  stretch  on  the  Baranof 
side  before  reaching  Poverotnoi  (Turnabout)  Island,  a  symmetrical 
green  island  that  blocks  the  pass.  On  one  side  of  it  is  the  true  Po- 
gibshi,  or  Peril  Point,  and  op])osite  is  the  Poison,  or  Pernicious  Cove, 
where  one  hundred  of  Baranof's  Aleut  hunters  were  killed  by  eating 
poisonous  mu8.«els  in  1799.  For  this  reason  the  Russians  as  often 
called  them  Pagoobnoy,  or  Pernicious  Straits.  For  the  next  3  miles  the 
half-mile-wide  channel  i.s  swept  by  strong  tidal  currents,  the  tides  from 
Chatham  Strait  and  the  open  ocean  meeting  at  these  First  or  North- 
ern Rapids.  A  half  hour  of  slack  water  intervenes  between  the 
hours  when  the  tides  race  at  eight  and  ten  knots  an  hour,  and  vessels 
are  timed  to  pass  within  that  limit  of  safety. 

The  straits  widen  beyond  the  Rapids,  and  inlets  open  magnificent 
vistas  from  the  moin  cation,  whone  steep  shores  are  densely  forested 
from  tide-line  to  the  snow-line  of  the  mountains.  At  the  Second 
or  Southern  Rapids,  12  miles  beyond,  the  channel  "at  its  narivwest 
part  is  scarce  100  yards  in  width,  and  is  rendered  very  dangerous  by 
the  sunken  rocks  over  which  the  tide  rushes  in  its  strength  with  the 


FROM   CHATHAM    STRAIT   TO   THE   OCEAN. 


109 


sound  of  a  roaring  cataract,  the  current  often  running  more  than  ten 
knots  an  hour.  .  .  .  For  8  miles  the  navigation  is  the  most  dangerous 
of  any  in  southeastern  Alaska,  exeep.  Kootznahoo  Inlet,  owing  to  the 
strong  tide  and  the  sunken  rocks  chat  obstruct  this  passage." 

Baranof  traversed  these  straits  in  1804,  and  LangsdorfF  wrote  an 
account  of  his  exciting  nm  with  the  tide  in  1805.  These  straits  were 
surveyed  and  buoyed  by  Ca])tain  Coghlan  in  1884,  and  since  then  there 
have  not  been  any  such  di.sasters  as  befel  the  U.  S.  S.  \y\ii/anda  and 
the  mail  steamer  Eureka.  Touri'  Is  going  through  at  high-water  slack, 
when  the  current  boils  slowly,  Jo  not  see  nor  hear  the  bore  4  ft.  high 
rushing  by,  eddies  sucking  down,  waves  boiling  up,  spar-buoys  borne 
under,  aiKl  kelp  snapping  in  the  current,  as  at  the  turn  of  the  tides. 

Salisbury  Sound  was  named  for  Portlock's  friind,  the  noble 
?Tai(j.ns  of  Salisbury,  in  1787.  The  Spaniard  Galiano  anchored  there, 
in  the  Puerto  de  los  Remedios,  in  1775.  Captain  Cook  called  it  the  Bay 
of  Islands  in  1778,  and  the  Russians  named  it  Klokacheff  Strait.  The 
peak  of  Mt.  St.  Elias  has  bei-ri  .<een  from  its  mouth.  St.  John  the  Bap- 
tist Bay,  at  its  eastern  end,  holds  beaches  and  bluffs  of  marble  and  a 
vein  of  lignite  disc(  I  liy  Professor  Blake  in  1867. 

Neva  Strait,  leadin  j  from  Salisbtiry  to  Sitka  Sound,  was  little  used 
in  Russian  days  because  of  the  sunken  rocks  and  ledir'  in  White- 
stone  Narrows,  and  vessels  v  ;ii  around  Kruznff  Island  to  avoid 
them.  Surveys  have  made  the  course  ,  lain  and  8af<  hut  as  it  can  only 
he  run  at  a  certain  stage  of  the  tide  by  large  steamers,  »  few  hours' 
anchorage  is  sometimes  enforced. 

Nakwasina  Pthssage  surrounds  Ilalleck  Islan  I,  and  is  a  great  resort 
of  winter  sportsmen.  It  was  recommended  a^  -a  site  of  a  new  military 
post  to  which  the  garrison  of  Sitka  should  be  removed  Qvan-siuski/, 
"the  place  where  qvass  was  brewed,"  is  the  local  uanto  for  the  level 
meadows  and  the  hay  ranch  maintained  by  the  Ru  Company,  and 

occupied  since  1 867  by  American  settlers,     i)'.  hland  is  an  un- 

mistakable landmark  at  the  southern  entiance  ot  Nakwasina. 

The  entrance  to  Katliana  Bay  is  2  miles  S.,  and  within  it  there 
is  another  hay  ranch  and  a  cabin  resorted  to  by  sportsmen  for  bear, 
deer,  duck,  geese,  grouse,  and  swan  shooting  in  the  winter.  This  Kat- 
liansky  camp  is  3  miles  in  fnmi  the  entrance,  and  there  is  a  sharply 
cut  pyranudal  peak  as  landmark  at  the  end  of  the  valley. 

The  Bay  of  Starri  Gavan,  or  Old  Sitka,  2  miles  below  Katliana 
Bay,  is  the  site  of  Baranofs  first  settlement,  the  Fort  Archangel  Gabriel 
established  in  1799  and  destroyed  by  the  natives  in  1802.     Jt  is  3  miles 


110 


FROM   CHATHAM    STRAIT   TO  THE   OCEAN. 


N.  of  the  present  Sitka,  on  the  E.  shore  of  Sitka  8oand,  which  is  14 
miles  long  and  from  6  to  7  miles  broad,  an  island-studdf  J  expanse 
sheltered  between  the  KruzoflF  and  Baranof  shores. 


Baranof  Island  and  the  Russian  Settlements. 

Lisianski,  who  first  surveyed  them,  named  Baranof,  Chichagoff, 
Kruzoff,  and  Jacobi's  Islands,  and  charted  them  in  1805  as  the  Sitka 
Islands.  Baranof,  best  known  of  any  island  in  the  archipelago,  is 
over  120  miles  long  and  about  80  miles  wide.  All  its  shore-line  has 
not  been  surveyed,  the  interior  is  unknown,  and  no  one  has  yet  (1893) 
crossed  it.  There  is  a  cannery  at  Red  Bay  on  the  S.  W.  shore,  but 
the  only  other  settlements  are  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of 
Sitka. 

The  Russians  reached  the  Pacific  shores  of  Siberia  in  1 639,  Vitus 
Bering,  by  commission  of  Peter  the  Great,  discovered  the  strait  sepa- 
rating Asia  and  America  in  1728,  and  in  1741,  at  the  behest  of  the 
Empress  Anne,  started  to  find  Vasco  da  Gama's  fabled  land.  His  two 
ships  separated  in  a  storm  and  fog  about  latitude  46  N.  Bering  sailing 
N.  E.  reached  Kayak  Islam?  on  St.  Elia.;  Day,  July  17,  1741,  saw  and 
named  the  great  mountain,  touched  at  the  Shumagins,  and  was  ship- 
wrecked on  the  Comandorski  Islands.  The  commander  died,  but  the 
scurvy-stricken  crew  survived,  reached  Kamschatka  with  the  pelts  of  the 
sea-otters  on  whose  flesh  they  had  lived,  and  stimulated  traders  to  con- 
tinued voyages  in  search  of  such  furs.  Tschirikow,  reaching  the  coast 
near  Sitka,  sent  a  boat's  crew  in  to  reconnoitre  the  bay ;  at  the  end  of 
six  days  sent  a  search  paity  for  them,  and  left  after  a  three  weeks'  stay 
slim  t  of  fourteen  men  and  all  their  boats.  The  defiant  behaviour  of 
canoe-loads  of  natives  that  paddled  out  to  the  ship,  the  din  on  shore 
and  columns  of  pmoke,  pointed  to  some  savage  sacrifice  at  the  base  of 
his  Mt.  St.  La^uria. 

In  1783.  (iregory  Shelikoff,  a  rich  Siberian  merchant,  established  a 
post  on  Kadiak  Island,  and  joined  to  him  Alexander  Baranof,  a  Rus- 
sian merchant  who  had  entered  the  Siberian  trade  and  been  ruined  by 
the  loss  of  his  caravans.  Baranof  pushed  the  enterprise  in  every  way, 
and  in  May,  1199,  reached  Sitka  Sound  ar.d  built  a  stockaded  post  8 
miles  N.  of  the  ])rcsent  town.  An  imperial  charter  with  monopoly  of 
the  American  Dosscssions  for  twenty  yoars  had  been  obtsined  by 
Resanof,  the  si  a-jn-law  of  Shelikoff,  and  a  court  councillor,  and  Bar- 
anof was  mad"'  cliief  manager  of  the  Russian  American  Fur  Company,  in 
which  nine  ri\  id  Siberian  firms  were  consolidated  and  members  of  the 
imperial  family  were  stockholders. 

The  fon  ?t  Sitka  was  destroyed  in  1802,  and  all  save  a  ffw  Rus- 
sians, who  found  refuge  on  a  British  trading-ship,  were  murdered. 
Baranof  was  at)Hent  at  the  time,  but  returned  in  August,  18<'4,  with 
800  Aleut  and  Chugach  hunters.     The  natives  fled  at  sight,  and  he 


FROM   CHATHAM   STRAIT  TO   THE   OCEAN. 


Ill 


went  back  through  the  archipelago  destroying  villages  everywhere. 
The  Sitkans  entrenched  themselves  on  Katlean's  Rock,  or  the  Kekoor — 
"ft  hill  at  the  end  of  a  peninsula" — and  at  the  mouth  of  Indian  River. 
Captain  Lisiansky  had  arrived  meanwhile  with  a  man-of-war,  and  in 
two  days  captured  the  Kekoor,  and  four  days  later  the  river  fort  ca- 
pitulated, the  occupants  fleeing  in  the  night,  however,  killing  dogs  and 
strangling  babes  lest  any  sound  betray  them.  By  Baranof's  advice  Re- 
aanof  went  to  Japan  and  vainly  attempted  to  open  trade  to  secure  sup- 
plies for  the  new  colony.  Baranof  contemplated  building  a  fort  on  the 
Columbia,  but  through  Resanof  opened  trade  with  the  Spanish  colonies 
in  California.  Resanof,  whose  wife  had  died,  paid  court  to  Donna 
Concepcion  Arguello,  daughter  of  the  alcalde  at  San  Francisco  Bay ; 
they  were  betrothed,  and  Resanof  died  in  Siberia  while  on  his  way  tc 
Petersburg  to  obtain  the  Czar's  consent  to  the  marriage.  Baranof 
was  suspicious  of  John  Jacob  Astor's  fort  on  the  Columbia  and  his 
many  ships,  and  distrusted  the  New  York  trader's  ofifer  of  a  perma- 
nent alliance  of  interests,  which  was  cut  short  by  the  War  of  1812. 

Baranof  established  an  agricultural  colony  at  Bodega  Bay  in  the 
redwood  country  north  of  San  Francisco,  and  the  mil's  and  lands  were 
tended  until  sold  to  General  John  A.  Laiicr  for  .$30,000,  a  few  years 
before  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California.  An  Hawaiian  colony  pros- 
pered for  a  time,  and  Baranof  planned  the  annexation  of  those  islands, 
but,  after  eighteen  years  of  service,  he  was  summarily  deposed,  his 
son-in-law,  a  young  naval  officer,  took  charge,  and  until  1864  the  chief 
managers  were  naval  officers,  who  filled  five-year  terms  at  a  salary  of 
$6,000  a  year,  with  a  residence  and  many  perquisites  furnished  by  the 
company.  Baranof,  Nanok,  or  the  master,  as  all  Tlingits  called  him, 
died  in  Batavia  on  his  way  home  to  Russia,  April,  1819.  Resanof  in 
his  journal,  Langsdorif,  Lisiansky,  and  Washington  Irving  have  pic- 
tured this  able  tyrant  and  his  surroundings,  and  the  wretched  condi- 
tion of  the  Aleuts  he  impressed  as  hunters,  and  the  promyschlniks  or 
indentured  Siberian  labourers  whom  he  kept  so  deeply  in  debt  that 
they  were  never  free  to  leave.  None  of  the  chief  managers  succeed- 
ing Baranof  were  able  to  make  as  large  returns  as  he,  and  after  re- 
newed leases  the  company  saw  the  advisability  of  closing  out,  and  the 
Russian  Government  the  disadvantage  of  holding  such  remote  depend- 
caciea. 

The  Russian  chief  managers  were : 
Gregor  Sholikofif,  August  3,  1784,  to  July  27,  1791. 
Alexander  Baranof,  July  27,  1791,  to  January  11,  1818. 
Lieutenant  Yanovsky  for  Captain  Hagemeister,  January  11,  1818, 
to  January,  1821. 

Captain  Mouravieff,  January,  1821,  to  January,  1826. 
Captain  Chistiakoff,  January,  1826,  to  January,  1831. 
Baron  Wrangell,  January,  1831,  to  January,  1836. 
Captain  Kupreanoff,  1836-1840. 


112 


FROM   CHATHAM   STRAIT   TO   THE   OCEAN. 


Lieutenant-Commander  Etholin,  1810-1845. 
Captain  Michael  Tebcnkoff,  1845-1850, 
Lieutenant-Commander  Rosenberg,  1851-1853. 
Captain  Voevotsky,  1854-1859.  . 

Captain  Furuhelm,  1859-1864. 

The  military  governor,  Prince  Deraitrius  Maksoutoflf,  1864,  to  Octo- 
ber 18,  186Y. 

Baron  Wrangcll,  the  arctic  explorer,  was  a  diplomatic  agent  to 
Mexico  as  well  as  chief  maniiger  at  Sl.ku  ;  and  after  Captain  Moura- 
vieff,  Captain  Etholin  was  the  great  constructor  and  most  entei-prising 
manager.  His  was  the  golden  age  of  the  colony.  Captain  Tebenkoff 
made  thorough  surveys ;  and  Kudin,  an  Aleut  from  the  parish  school, 
drew  the  38  charts,  and  Terenticff,  another  Aleut,  engraved  on  copper 
the  maps  of  the  great  atlas  of  1848,  which  is  authority  where  not  suc- 
ceeded by  the  U.  S.  Coast  Survey's  recent  work.  Prince  Maksoutofif, 
the  only  "  governor,"  was  detailed  toward  the  end  of  the  fur  company's 
last  lease,  when  their  unwillingness  to  continue  the  charter  under  the 
same  burdensome  conditions  made  it  probable  that  the  Czar  would 
have  to  govern  this  like  his  other  provinces,  instead  of  farming  it  out. 
The  approaching  expiration  of  that  profitiible  lease  caused  him  to  seek 
a  purchaser  for  these  remote  possessions,  so  impossible  to  defend  in 
case  of  war,  and  so  dirccily  adjoining  British  territory. 


THE  PURCHASE  OF  RUSSIAN  AMERICA. 

In  1844-'45  the  Emperor  Nicholas  oifered  Russian  America  to  the 
United  States  for  the  mere  cost  of  transfer,  if  President  Polk  would 
maintain  the  United  States  line  at  54"  40',  and  shut  England  out  from 
any  frontage  on  the  Pacific.  In  1854  it  was  offered  to  the  Uni*;od 
States,  and  again  in  1859,  when  $6,000,000  was  refused.  From  1861  to 
1 866  survey  parties  of  the  W.  U.  T.  traversed  Alaska,  choosing  a  route 
for  a  telegraph  line  to  Europe  via  Bering  Strait.  The  success  of  the 
Atlantic  cable  in  1866,  after  the  failure  of  1869,  ended  the  project,  and 
the  line  completed  to  the  Skeena  River  was  abandoned.  A  California 
commercial  syndicate  proposed  the  leasing  and  then  the  purchasing  of 
the  country  in  1864  and  1866,  and  the  project  was  informally  consid- 
ered at  St.  Petersburg.  Secretary  Seward  deeply  appreciated  Russia's 
tacit  alliance  in  .sending  its  fleets  to  the  harbours  of  San  Francisco  and 
New  York  in  1863,  and  keeping  them  there  at  that  critical  time  when 
France  and  England  were  on  the  point  of  recognizing  the  Richmond 
government.  Upon  an  intimation  that  the  ('zar  wished  to  sell  Russian 
America  to  any  nation  but  England,  Secretary  Seward  opened  negotia- 
tions with  Baron  Stocckl  in  February,  18<)7.  A  treaty  of  purchase  was 
sent  to  the  Senate  March  30, 1867,  reported  April  9th,  ratified  May  28th 
by  30  yeas  to  2  nays,  and  proclaimed  by  President  John.son  June  20, 
1867.  Senator  Charles  Sumner,  who  especially  championed  the  pur- 
chase, suggested  Alaska — the  name  the  natives  gave  to  Captain  Cook 


FROM   CHATHAM   STRAIT   TO   THE   OCEAN. 


113 


— for  the  name  of  the  mainhind.  It  was  intended  to  make  General 
Garfield  a  first  Governor  of  the  Territory,  and  later  divide  it  into  six 
Territories. 


THE  TRANSFP:R  of  RUSSIAN  AMERICA  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Immediate  military  occupation  was  decided  upon.  General  Lovell 
H.  Rousseau,  as  commissioner  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  and 
Captains  Pestschouroff  and  Koskul  on  the  part  of  Russia,  met  at  Sitka, 
October  1 8, 1 867.  Three  men-of-war,  the  Osxiprr,  Jtwicstoirn,  and  Jicsaca, 
and  General  Jefferson  C.  Davis  and  '2M)  regular  troops  were  in  waiting, 
and  at  half  past  three  o'clock  that  afternoon  Prince  Maksoutoff  and 
Vice-Govemor  (lardsishoffand  the  commissioners  met  the  United  States 
officers  at  the  foot  of  the  Governor's  flap-staff.  Double  national  salutes 
were  fired  by  the  men-of  war  and  the  land  battery  as  the  Russian  flag 
was  lowered  and  the  American  flag  raised.  Captain  Pestschouroff  ad- 
vanced as  the  Russian  flag  fell,  and  said  :  "  General  Rousseau,  by  au- 
thority of  his  Majesty  the  Emjieror  of  all  the  Russias,  I  transfer  to 
ycu,  the  agent  of  the  United  States,  all  the  territory  and  dominion  now 
possessed  by  his  Majesty  on  the  continent  of  Americf.  aiid  in  the  adja- 
cent islands,  acconling  to  a  treaty  made  between  tho.^e  two  powers." 
General  Rousseau  accepted,  with  similar  brief  phrases,  and  his  young 
son  raised  the  uuw  flag  slowly.  Prince  Maksoutoff  gave  a  dinner  and 
ball  that  riight,  the  8hip|)ing  was  dressed,  and  fireworks  were  displayed. 

There  was  an  immediate  exodtis  of  all  Russians  able  to  leave,  the 
Grvemment  offering  free  transportation  to  and  homes  in  the  Amoor 
settlements.  The  Julian  gave  way  to  the  Gregorian  calendar  over- 
night, and  a  day  was  u;  v/pj)ed  from  Sitki's  records  to  right  the  difference 
of  twenty-four  hours  betweoi  the  Russian  day  coming  eastward  from 
Moscow  and  our  day  commg  westward  from  Greenwich. 

During  the  summer  of  1 867  Prof.  George  Davidson  and  eight  scien- 
tists made  a  reconnoissance  of  southeastern  Alaska,  and  their  report 
with  Senator  Sumnei's  speech,  were  >  strongest  arguments  Secretary 
Seward  offered  in  his  "/i'«.Wa«  ^•l;«f/7Vfi"  (Fortieth  Congress,  second 
session.  House  of  Representatives,  Ex.  Doc.  177),  siibmitted  at  the  con- 
vening of  Congress  in  December.  Tiiere  was  bitter  opposition  to  ap- 
propriating the  $7,20O,()()()  gold  equal  to  $10,000,000  in  paper  at  that 
time,  to  pay  for  the  territory  so  summarily  taken  possession  of ;  but  on 
July  14, 1868,  the  House  agreed  by  a  vote  of  98  against  49,  and  the  draft 
was  handed  Baron  Stoeckl.  Corruption  in  the  purchase  was  alleged,  and 
a  winter  of  investigation  followed  the  winter  of  contest  and  ridicule. 
In  1869  ex-Secretary  Seward  visited  Alaska,  was  first  a  guest  of  Mayor 
Dodge,  and  went  off  to  Prof.  Davidson's  observatory  intheChilkat  coun- 
try. Returning  by  way  of  Kootznahoo,  Mr.  Seward  was  the  guest  of 
General  Davis  on  the  Kekoor,  and  addressed  the  citizens  in  the  Lutheran 
church.  He  visited  the  Taku  Glacier,  the  mining  camps  on  the  Stikine 
and  Fort  Wrangell,  and  was  more  than  ever  convinced  of  the  great  ad- 
vantages gained  by  the  purchase  of  Alaska.  Lo  'y  Franklin  reached 
Sitka  by  the  troop-ship  Newbe^ti  in  1870,  and  with  her  niece  Miss 


114 


FROM  CHATHAM   STRAIT  TO  THE  OCEAN. 


Cracroft  was  a  guest  of  the  commandant  on  the  Kekoor.  The  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  1871  lent  an  excitement  to  garrison  life,  and  army 
pay-vouchers  were  sunk  in  mining  experiments  at  Sitka  as  protitlessly 
a.*  navy  pay-vouchers  were  poured  into  Juneau  prospect-holes  ten  years 
later. 

Alaska  was  at  first  a  separate  military  department,  General  J.  C. 
Davis  commanding,  with  garrisons  at  Sitka,  Fort  Tongass,  Fort  Wran- 
gell,  Kodink,  Fort  St.  Nicholas  in  Cook's  Inlet,  and  a  detail  on  the  Seal 
Islands.  Eight  officers  succeeded  General  Davis  at  Sitka,  after  Alaska 
became  a  part  of  the  Department  of  the  Columbia,  and  June  14,  1877, 
Sitka,  the  last  garrison,  was  vacated,  and  "  all  control  of  the  military 
department  over  affairs  in  Alaska"  ceased.  In  1897  a  military  post 
was  established  at  St.  Michaels  ;  in  1898,  at  Dyca  and  on  the  Yukon. 

AN  ABANDONED  TERRITORY. 

Within  a  few  months  after  the  troops  left  Sitka,  the  Indians  had  de- 
stroyed all  Government  property  outside  the  stockade  and  threatened  a 
general  massacre.  Appeals  to  Wa.-^hington  for  protection  were  un- 
heeded. The  residents  were  besieged  in  the  old  fur  warehouse  in 
February.  H.  B.  M.'s  Onprey,  Captain  Holmes  A'Court,  was  at  Esqui- 
mault,  when  a  last  desperate  appeal  came  to  Victoria,  and  without 
orders  or  instructions  hurried  north,  arriving  from  the  ocean  as  a  great 
war  party  was  coming  in  from  Peril  Strait  for  the  final  attack.  The 
residents  attempted  to  raise  the  British  flag  and  implore  annexation 
and  protection  by  England,  but  were  prevented  by  Michael  Travers, 
Duke  of  Japonski,  an  ex-sailor  of  the  United  States  navy.  Captain 
A'Court  remained  until  a  revenue  cutter  and  a  man-of-war  arrived. 

A  man-of-war  has  been  continuously  detailed  to  service  in  south- 
eastern Alaska  ever  since,  and  until  the  establishment  of  civil  govern- 
ment such  commanding  officers  were  virtually  naval  governors  and  the 
ships  Jamestown,  Wachusett,  Adams,  and  JHnta  the  seat  of  government. 
Captain  Lester  A.  Beardslee,  whose  reports  (Forty-sixth  Congress,  second 
session,  Senate  Ex.  Doc.  No.  145,  and  Forty-seventh  Congress,  first  ses- 
sion. Senate  Ex.  Doc.  No.  71)  are  the  most  valuable  contributions  to 
Alaskiana  since  the  transfer,  was  succeeded  by  Captains  Glass,  Merri- 
man,  Coghlan,  and  Nichols. 

Thirty  bills  providing  a  form  of  government  for  Alaska  were  intro- 
duced between  the  transfer  and  the  passage  of  Senator  Harrison's  bill, 
May  13, 1884,  which  gave  the  nondescript  tract  the  skeleton  of  civil  gov- 
ernment ;  a  governor,  district  judge,  marshal,  clerk,  and  commissioners ; 
with  right  to  enter  mineral  claims,  but  distinctly  withholding  the  general 
land  laws.  Attempts  toward  securing  representation  at  Washington 
failed,  and  the  invitation  to  join  in  the  Columbian  Exposition  on  a  foot- 
ing with  other  Territories  was  the  first  civil  recognition  given  the  so- 
called  district,  and  the  admission  of  delegates  to  the  National  Conventions 
at  Minneapolis  and  Chicago  in  1892  the  first  political  privilege.  "  Alas- 
ka for  the  Alaskans  "  is  vehemently  claimed  as  a  fit  rule  in  executive 
appointments.    The  general  land  laws  were  extended  to  Alaska  in  1898. 

The  Territorial  Governors  have  been :  John  H.  Kinhead,  of  Nevada, 


SITKA   AND  VICINITY. 


116 


May,  1884,  to  September,  1886  ;  A.  P.  Swineford,  of  Michigan,  Septem- 
ber, 1885,  to  June,  1889 ;  Lyman  E.  Knapp,  of  Vermont,  June,  1889 ; 
James  Sheakly,  June,  1893;  John  0.  Brady,  of  Alaska,  June,  1897. 

The  Russian  archives,  manuscript  journals,  records,  logs,  and  ac- 
count-books were  transferred  from  Sitka  to  the  State  Department  at 
Washington  in  18H7,  and,  with  TikhmeniefT's  history  of  the  colony,  offer 
much  of  interest  to  those  reading  Russian  text  and  script. 


Sitka,  the  Capital  of  the  Territory  of  Alaska. 

Sitka,  the  capital  and  seat  of  government  of  the  Territory  of  Alaska, 
is  situated  on  the  VV.  coast  of  Baranof  Island.  It  is  the  official  resi- 
dence of  the  Governor,  United  States  District  Judge,  and  other  Territorial 
officers,  and  had  a  population  of  1,188  in  1H90,  composed  of  298  whites, 
869  natives,  and  81  Chinese.  Sitka  is  the  home  port  for  the  U.  S.  man- 
of-war  detailed  for  protective  duty  in  these  waters,  and  its  marines  are 
quartered  on  shore. 

The  town  is  built  on  level  land  at  the  mouth  of  Indian  River  at  the 
foot  of  Mt.  Verttovoi  (.'1,2115  ft.).  Lincoln,  the  main  street,  extends 
from  the  Government  wharf  to  the  old  Russian  saw-mill,  and  the  Gov- 
ernor's Walk,  a  beach  road  built  by  the  Russians,  continues  to  the  Point, 
a  half  mile  distant.  A  large  parade-ground  fronts  the  harbour.  A  gran- 
ite monument  at  its  centre  is  the  U.  S.  Astronomical  Station  (latitude 
67°  02'  N.,  and  longitude  136°  19'  W.).  Mail  steamers  remain  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  excursion  steamers  make  shorter  stay.  Ships'  time  is 
one  hour  in  advance  of  local  time,  which  tourists  should  remember.  The 
chief  objects  of  interest  are  the  ruins  of  the  "  Castle,"  or  old  residence 
of  the  Russian  Fur  Company's  chief  managers,  destroyed  by  fire  in 
March,  1894,  the  Greek  cathedral  church,  the  Indian  village,  the  block- 
houses and  Russian  cemetery,  tie  Sitka  Mission  and  Industrial  School, 
the  Sitka  Museum,  and  the  Park  along  the  banks  of  Indian  River.  There 
are  several  traders'  stores  with  curio  departments,  and  private  dealers  in 
curios  offer  interesting  and  very  expensive  souvenirs.  The  Alaska  totem 
spoon  was  designed  by  the  late  Frederick  Schwatka,  and  tw^o  native  sil- 
versmiths make  unique  silver  trophies.  The  spoon  mania  has  always 
flourished  in  Alaska,  and  the  Haidas'  carved  goat-horn  spoons  are  real 
works  of  art.     Spoon-polishing  is  a  fashion  of  every  tourist  season. 

The  Barrackt  and  Oustom-House  at  the  right  of  the  wharf  were  built 
by  the  Russians,  and  the  barracks  building  is  the  Territorial  jail  and 
court-house,  with  apartments  above  for  civil  officers.  A  long  flight  of 
steps  leads  to  the  Castle,  as  Americans  have  called  it  since  1867,  crown> 


116 


8ITKA    AND   VICINITY. 


ing  a  rocky  eminence  80  ft.  in  lieight.  Biiranof  first  occupied  a  leaky 
two-roomed  cabin  at  the  foot  of  Katlean'rt  Rock,  where  the  barracks  or 
jail  kitchens  stand.  Later  he  built  a  block-house  on  the  height,  which 
was  burned.  Governor  Kuprcanoff  built  a  large  mansitm,  which  was 
nearly  comi)leted  at  the  time  of  Sir  Edward  Belcher's  visit,  1S37.  It 
was  destroyed  by  the  great  earthquake  of  1847,  and  rebuilt  on  the  same 
plan.  Lisiunsky,  Lutke,  and  Whyniper  have  given  pictures  and  descrip- 
tions of  these  three  citadels  protected  by  stockades,  bastions,  and  bat- 
tery  of  forty  pieces,  and  with  Sir  (icorge  Simpson  have  described  its 
Bocial  life.  It  is  a  massive  structure,  measuring  8()  x  51  ft.,  b\iilt  of  cedar 
logs,  joined  with  copper  bolts  and  rivetetl  to  the  rock.  It  is  three  stories 
in  height,  with  a  glass  cupola,  which  was  formerly  the  light-house  of  the 
harbour,  the  lamp  standing  110  ft.  above  the  sea.  It  was  richly  fur- 
nished and  decorated  when  transferred  to  the  U.  S.  military  commandant 
in  1867,  but  after  the  departure  of  the  troops  was  looted  of  every  be- 
longing, wantonly  stripi)ed,  and  defaced.  No  repairs  were  made  until 
1893,  and  just  after  the  completion  of  the  repairs  the  castle  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  March  17,  lo  94. 

Baranof's  daug  iter,  Mme.  Yanovski,  was  the  first  hostess  on  the 
Kekoor  (lH0<S-'2\),  but  the  Baroness  Wrangcll  (1831-'36)  was  first  to 
leave  any  social  fame.  Mme.  Kupreanoff  (1830-'40)  crossed  Siberia  on 
horseback  to  accompany  her  husband  to  this  distant  post.  Mme.  Etho- 
lin  (1840-'45),  a  native  of  Helsingfors  in  Finland,  was  the  Lady  Boun- 
tiful of  blessed  memory  who  did  most  'or  the  colony.  She  established  a 
school  for  Creole  girls,  dowered  them,  imd  gc.  j  them  wedding  feasts  in 
this  home.  Sir  George  Simpson  has  descriV  <,'d  her  refined  hospitality, 
the  banquets  of  30  and  50  guests,  the  .ostly  plate,  and  appointments. 
Mme.  Furuhelm  (1859-'64),  a  Petersburg  beauty,  was  long  lemembered 
for  her  accomplishments  and  kindness.  The  first  Princess  Maksoutoff 
(1864),  an  Englishwoman,  died  soon  after  her  ariivai,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Lutheran  cemetery  on  the  knoll  in  line  half-way  between  the  two 
block  houses.  The  second  Princess  Maksoutoff  was  young  and  beautiful, 
with  great  tact  and  charm,  and  made  life  on  the  Kekoor  one  round  of 
gaiety  until  the  day  when  with  streaming  eyes  she  watched  the  Russian 
flag  flung  down  and  the  United  States  colours  run  up  on  the  citadel's  flag- 
staff. It  was  the  residence  of  the  successive  military  commandants  from 
1867  to  1877,  and  Lady  Franklin  and  Mr.  Seward  were  entertained  there. 

Two  young  officers  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Adams  and  the  purser  of  the 
Idaho  manufactured  a  ghost  story  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  first 
pleasure  travellers  in  1883,  who  insisted  that  the  deserted  and  half- 
wrecked  castle  must  be  haunted.  A  Lucia  di  Lannnermoor,  condemned 
to  marry  against  her  will,  killed  herself,  or  was  killed  by  a  returned 
lover,  in  the  diawing-room,  the  long  apartment  on  the  second  floor, 
Qorth  side,  adjoining  the  ball-room,  where  she  walks  at  midnight, 


SITKA    AND   VICINITY. 


117 


General  Davis  oleiirod  iiwiiy  the  old  shi|)-yard,  and  filled  in  and  made 
the  prt'Hent  purade-ftiound.  The  offK-'crs'  quarteiH  that  fronted  on  two 
sides  were  nearly  all  l)urned  by  the  natives  between  1S72  and  1877,  the 
one  nearest  the  sea-wall  and  native  village  being  used  as  residence  by 
the  territorial  governors.  The  heavy  stockade  around  the  settlement 
was  torn  down  piecemeal  after  the  troops  left.  The  Sitka  Historical 
Society  was  organized  in  time  to  preserve  the  two  block-houses. 

The  large  log  building  next  the  Custom-IIouse,  occupied  by  the  Sitka 
Trading  Company,  was  the  old  fur  warehouse,  and  often  held  pelts  to 
the  value  of  $1,000,000  in  Russian  days. 

'  Russian  Orthodox  Church  or  St.  Michael. 

Baranof  built  a  small  chapel  in  1816,  but  when  Ivan  Veniaminoff 
was  made  bishop  of  the  independent  diocese  of  Russian  America  he 
built  this  cathedral,  occupying  a  quadrangle  midway  in  the  main  street. 
It  was  dedicated  in  1844.  Veniaminoff,  then  Metropolitan  of  Moscow, 
Bent  rich  vestments,  plate,  pictures,  and  altar  furnishing  to  the  church, 
which  was  also  under  the  special  protection  of  the  imperial  family,  who 
filled  it  with  gifts.  The  chime  of  six  bells  in  the  cupola  was  sent 
from  Moscow. 

The  interior  is  richly  decorated,  and  is  open  to  visitors  on  steamer 
days  for  a  small  admission  fee,  which  goes  to  the  poor  fund  of  the 
parish.  There  are  no  seats,  the  congregation  standing  or  kneeling,  and 
a  male  choir  chanting  throughout  all  services.  The  interior  is  finished 
in  white  and  gold,  and  the  inner  sanctuary,  where  no  women  may  enter, 
is  8epar!''.ed  Iiom  the  body  of  the  church  by  elaborate  bronze  doors. 
The  picture  of  the  Ascension  over  these  doors  was  formerly  in  the 
chancel  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Massive  candlesticks  stand  at  either 
side  of  the  doors,  and  the  screen  holds  full-length  pictures  of  St.  Michael 
and  St.  Nicholas  in  armour  and  robes  of  beaten  silver,  with  jewelled 
halos  and  helmets.  The  chapel  and  the  altar  in  the  right  transept  are 
dedicated  to  St.  John  the  Baptist.  The  chapel  of  St.  Mary  on  the  left 
is  used  for  winter  services,  and  the  altar  picture  of  the  Madonna  and 
Child,  their  sweet  Byzantine  faces  shadowed  with  heavy  silver  draper- 
ies, is  much  admired. 

The  church  treasury  contains  many  rich  vestments,  jewelled  crowns, 
crosses,  caskets,  and  reli(|uaries ;  a  fine  baptismal  bowl,  illuminated 
breviaries  and  missals  with  jewelled  and  enamelled  covers.  The  bish- 
op's mitred  cap  and  the  crowns  used  in  the  wedding  ceremony  are  very 
ornate.  The  bishoji's  see  was  transferred  to  San  Francisco  in  1868, 
and  the  great  diamond  cross,  and  a  Bible  whose  silver  covers  weighed 
twenty-seven  pounds,  were  taken  there,  together  with  the  richest  vest- 
ments. In  the  following  year  discharged  U.  S.  soldiers  robbed  the 
church  of  the  Czar's  jewelled  Bible  and  many  valuable  pieces  of  plate, 
a  few  of  which  were  recovered  in  a  mutilated  condition. 

The  Czar  of  Russia,  as  temporal  head  of  the  Greek  Orthodox 


118 


8ITKA   AND   VICINITY. 


Church,  maintains  the  17  churches  and  92  chapcU  in  Alanka,  and  the 
chapelH  in  Chicaj^o  and  San  FraiuiKco,  at  an  expcuHe  of  !j;tt(),(M»0  a  year. 
He  transferred  the  hishop'n  see  from  Sitka  to  San  Francisco,  and  then 
to  Unalaska,  and  l)ack  to  Sitka,  partially  restoring  at  last  some  of  its 
plory  to  this  Catlicdral  of  St.  Mictiael.  The  hisiiop  k-  des  in  the  lonp, 
green-roofed  dwelling  on  the  Governor's  Walk,  and  tliere  in  a  tiny 
Chupel  of  tlie  Annunciation  off  bis  drawing-room  whose  aitur  shines 
with  many  tine  silver  icons. 

The  Chapel  of  the  Kesurrection,  built  into  the  stockade  near  the 
present  Marine  Barracks,  was  used  for  the  native  communicants  until 
the  transfer.  It  was  once  seized  and  used  as  a  fortress  during  an  up- 
rising of  the  natives.  It  fell  to  ruin  and  was  destroyed  mme  years  ago, 
and  all  communicants  now  woiship  together  at  St.  Michael's. 

The  Lutheran  church,  built  by  Governor  Etholin  in  1840  for  the 
Swedes  and  Finns  emjjloyed  in  the  foundries  and  sliiji -y-  ds,  was  the  gar- 
rison church  after  the  transfer,  later  was  abandoned,  u!id  (inally  torn 
down.  Prince  Maksoutoff  sent  all  the  plate  and  fii..  1:  ..  •  back  to  the 
mother  church  in  F'inland  in  1867.  Lieutenant  (Jilrnan  rcscueii  and  re- 
paired the  wrecked  organ,  that  afterward  found  a  place  in  the  museum. 

The  ponderous  log  building  on  the  S.  side  of  the  church,  occupied  as 
a  general  trading-.^tore,  was  formeily  the  head  office  and  counting-house 
of  the  Russian-American  Fur  Company.  The  deacon's  house  and  other 
dwellings,  which  are  church  property,  face  on  the  \.  side.  The  Officers^ 
Cluh-House  at  the  corner  of  the  quadrangle  was  a  richly  appointed 
building  in  Russian  days.  It  was  the  club-house  of  the  U.  S.  military 
officers,  but  only  a  tenement-house  since  the  garrison  left.  A  small 
spruce-tree  growing  from  the  crevice  of  a  bouldei",  beside  the  engine- 
house  facing  the  club-house,  is  one  of  the  regidar  sights  of  the  town. 

The  eminence  N.  of  the  church,  formerly  the  tea-gardens  and  race- 
track of  the  Russians,  is  reserved  as  site  for  a  Governor's  mansion.  A 
path  continues  to  the  liuxiian  Cemetery  overlooking  Swan  Lake,  which 
at  one  time  furnished  ice  for  a  large  ice-house  whose  stone  foundations 
remain  on  the  point  of  land  S.  of  the  church.  A  railway  connected  the 
lake  with  the  ice-house,  and  shipments  were  made  to  San  Francisco. 
The  winters  proving  too  mild,  and  the  ice  too  thin  and  porous,  operations 
were  conducted  at  Gloubokoe  Lake,  or  the  Redoubt,  then  transferred  to 
Kodiak,  and  finally  suspended  upon  the  perfecting  of  ice-machines. 

Foundries  once  occupied  the  land  between  the  church  and  the  saw- 
mill. Ploughs  and  farm  implements  were  exported  to  Pacific  colonies, 
and  the  bells  of  nearly  all  the  mission  churches  in  California  were  cast 
here.  These  works  and  the  ship-yards,  being  the  only  ones  of  their 
kind  on  the  Pacific  shores  until  after  the  gold  discoveries  in  California, 
made  Sitka  the  rendezvous  of  all  ships  and  fleets. 

The  ^^ Blarnei/- Stone"  a  square  block  on  the  beach  opposite  the 
Mission,  is  believed  to  dower  the  one  kissing  it  with  a  magic  tongue, 


SITKA   AND   VICINITY. 


119 


Baranof  is  said  to  have  spent  many  fine  afternoons  sitting  on  it.  There 
is  a  Rust<ian  inscription  on  the  face,  and  each  U.  S.  man-of-war  or  rev- 
enue cutter  used  to  cut  its  name  on  it  as  imperishable  record  of  entry. 

The  Sitka  Mission  and  Industrial  School  was  established  by  the 
Presbyterian  Board  in  1878.  In  1884  the  Indian  appropriation  bill 
provided  "  $15,000  for  the  support  and  education  of  Indian  children  of 
both  sexes  at  indu'^trial  schools  in  Alaska."  An  allowance  of  $120  per 
capita  was  made  for  each  pupil  enrolled.  In  1888  this  educational 
fund  was  transferred  to  the  Board  of  Education,  and  the  Indian  Bureau 
ceased  to  have  any  connection  with  the  natives  of  Alaska.  There  were 
164  pupils  in  1890-'91,  and  the  group  of  buildings  include  dormitories, 
schoolrooms,  work-rooms,  a  hospital,  church,  museum,  cooper,  car- 
penter, blacksmith,  and  slioemaktr°'  shops.  The  laundry  and  industrial 
school  building  were  the  gift  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elliot  F.  Shopard,  of  New 
York.  There  is  a  model  settlement  of  school  graduates  beyond  the 
Mission.  Exercises  are  held  in  the  school-rooms  on  steamer  days.  The 
Mission  band  plays  there,  and  usually  as  a  farewell  at  the  wharf. 

Chief  Michael's  village,  destroyed  by  Lisiansky  in  1804,  occupied 
the  Point  KolosJumskoy  at  the  mouth  of  Indian  River.  Afterward 
the  Swedes  and  Finns  in  the  Russian  Company's  employ  built  their 
group  of  cottages,  and  traces  of  the  ruins  may  be  found  in  the  park- 
like rea'.'h. 

The  Indian  River  Park. 

Kalosch'nskaia  Retscha,  or  Indian  River,  has  been  admired  by 
every  visitor  of  the  century.  It  rises  in  the  valley  that  opens  behind 
the  town,  and  is  fed  by  the  snow-banks  of  Versiovoi  and  the  Three 
Utothers,  or  Valley  Mountains.  In  Sir  George  Simpson's  time  (1844)  it 
was  so  crowded  with  salmon  that  a  canoe  could  not  be  forced  through. 
Malma  trout  are  the  best  catch  of  summer  weeks  now,  and  salmon 
swim  occasionally.  By  Executive  proclamation  of  June  21,  1890,  a 
strip  of  land  500  ft.  wide  on  the  right  bank  and  250  ft.  wide  on  the 
left  bank  of  Indian  River,  between  the  falls  and  its  mouth,  were  re- 
served for  a  public  park,  and  10  acres  of  land  beyond  the  Mission  grant 
was  reserved  for  a  naval  and  military  cemetery.  It  is  a  beautiful  natu- 
ral park,  and  contains  much  of  interest  to  the  tourist — thickets  of 
devil's  club  20  ft.  high,  thickets  of  salmon-bfrry  and  thimble-berry 
uushes,  and  a  wealth  of  ritrango  fenis  and  mosses.  One  path  leads  from 
the  Governor's  Walk  through  the  model  village  beyond  the  Mission  to 
the  river's  bank,  and  two  other  paths  lead  from  the  Governor's  Walk 


120 


8ITKA    AND   VICINITY. 


to  the  bridge  spanning  the  stream  above  its  mouth.  Many  side  paths 
diverge  from  the  main  path  along  the  left  bank,  which  extends  from 
the  falls  to  the  beach.  At  the  latter  point  are  the  gravep  of  Lisian- 
eky's  men  who  were  killed  by  ambuscaded  Indians  while  obtaining 
water  for  the  ship  in  1804.  The  path  continues  thence  to  Jamestown 
Bay. 

On  the  right  bank  near  the  falls,  the  prostrate  trunk  of  a  cedar  10 
ft.  in  diameter,  with  a  group  of  young  trees  growing  on  its  mossy  ter- 
race, lies  I'cside  the  path.  The  rustic  seat.'",  bridges,  and  the  cleared 
path  are  part  of  public  improvements  made  by  Lieutenant  Oilman,  U.  S. 
M.  C,  in  1884.  His  nistic  bridge  at  the  falls  was  destroyed  by  wood- 
cutters, who  allowed  untrimmed  trees  to  float  down  and  jam  above  it ; 
and  the  lower  bridge  was  destroyed  by  flood.  The  Davis  Road  con- 
nects the  old  brewery  above  the  falls  and  the  Governor's  Walk,  cross- 
ing a  high  swamp  covered  with  blueberry  bushes  and  moroshkies 
(Rubus  chcBmavo)~us\  a  small  ground  berry.  The  Cemetery  Road  joins 
it  near  the  beach. 

The  Indian  Villa(?e. 

The  native  village  fronting  on  the  harbour  N.  of  the  wharf  has  been 
transformed  since  1880,  and  does  not  contain  one  of  the  original  lodges 
or  great  communal  dwellings  of  old.  Captain  Glass  had  the  village 
cleaned  in  1881,  and  the  houses  numbered,  for  record  and  sanitary 
inspection.  An  ambition  to  display  the  highest  number  has  caused 
each  one  to  raise  the  figures  on  his  doorway  since  such  discipline  was 
relaxed.  The  silversmiths  and  basket- weavers  oft(Mi  have  choice  pieces 
of  their  work  in  reserve,  and  the  tourist  readily  pays  a  higher  price  for 
the  privilege  of  purchasing  on  the  premises.  Afrs.  Tom,  who  is  not  a 
princess,  but  of  commonest  Yakutat  stock  and  of  an  inferior  totem,  is 
possessed  of  great  wealth  in  silver  dollars,  and  is  one  of  the  shrewdest 
and  largest  traders  in  the  Territory,  owning  schooners  and  branch  stores. 
Extensive  advertising  has  made  her  famous  and  raised  the  prices  of  her 
goods,  but  few  of  the  romantic  histories  current  have  any  foundation 
in  truth. 

A  trail  leads  up  the  beach  to  the  sawmill,  and  another  across  to 

Swan  Lake.     Gavan,  or  Harbour  Hill,  N.  of  the  village,  is  2,200  ft.  in 

height. 

THE  SITKAN8  AND  TIIKIR  RECORDS. 

General  Ilalleck's  census  of  1869  estimated  the  Sitkans  at  1,200 
Captain  Glass's  winter  census  of  1881  found  840.     The  othcial  census 


in 
thf 


ttVl 

thii 

ber 
pro 
gat 


SITKA   AND   VICINTTY. 


121 


I 

■•9 


■^ 

-^ 


of  1890  reeordofl  814  villajrers  in  July,  l)nt  rcsidcnta  say  that  there  are 
always  more  than  l.OOO  livinp  in  the  ranch  in  winter. 

The  Sitkmis  are  of  mixed  and  common  stock,  descended  from  out- 
casts, renegades,  malcontents,  and  wanderers  of  many  tiibes.  The 
original  word  "  Sheelka  " — kIi  (whIki,  a  mountain,  and  lukimn,  a  village — 
is  freely  translated  as  "  the  [leople  living  at  the  base  of  the  moimtain  " 
( Verstovoi),  and  the  tiue  Slicetka  was  the  fortified  village  of  800  people 
destroyed  by  Baranof  and  Lisiansky  at  the  Point.  All  other  Tlingits 
looked  down  upon  them  at  that  time,  and  a  Iloonah  or  Kootznalioo 
child  was  most  insulted  when  called  "  as  gieat  a  blockhead  as  a  Sitkan." 
An  old  Kootznahoo  told  Lisiansky  that  long,  long  ago,  in  a  bay  (Kat- 
liansky)  near  Old  Sitka,  two  orphan  brothers  of  unknown  origin  lived 
alone  in  a  world  of  plenty  until  Chat,  the  younger,  ate  a  sea  vegetable 
like  the  prickly  cucumber.  The  elder  knew  it  was  the  one  forbidden 
fiuit ;  the  abundance  ceased,  and  the  two  nearly  starved.  The  bay 
was  common  hunting-ground  to  all  tribes,  and  some  visiting  Stikines, 
pitying  them,  left  them  Stikine  wives  of  the  ("row  clan  to  teach  thera 
how  to  live  in  the  changed  world.  All  Sitkans  of  the  Kaksatti,  or 
Crow  totem,  are  descended  from  this  pair.  The  Kaksattis  and  the 
Kokwantons,  or  Wolf  clan,  about  evenly  divide  the  tribe  now,  the  latter 
a  band  of  mixed  Auk  and  Chilkat  stock,  who  came  over  from  the 
Kootznahoo  country  in  Baranof's  time. 

Until  1821  the  Indians  were  not  allowed  to  settle  on  the  fort  shore, 
and  they  kept  to  the  harbour  islands.  Lutke  (1827)  first  described  the 
present  ranch,  the  vast  lodges  with  the  totem's  elhgy  before  the  door, 
and  the  feasts  and  dances  that  went  on  at  these  signs  of  the  Crow,  the 
Wolf,  and  the  Hear.  Although  the  fort  was  strongly  defended,  3,000 
warriors  once  appeared,  demanded  blankets,  and  began  a  dance 
that  frightened  the  Russians  into  c()m|)liance.  In  1880  an  epidemic 
of  small-pox  began,  lasted  for  four  years,  and  reduced  all  the  tribes 
to  one  half  their  number.  Long  before  tlie  Russians  came  the  great 
Crow  had  sent  the  same  fatal  disease  as  i)unishment  for  the  continual 
wars  among  the  Tlingits ;  but  the  medicine-men  ascribed  this  epidemic 
to  the  white  priests  and  doctors,  an.',  like  the  Salish,  viewed  baptism 
and  vaccination  as  rites  of  evil  effect.  In  1855  the  Sitkans  attacked 
the  fort,  but  were  quickly  s  ibdued. 

They  were  displeased  a>  the  change  of  flags,  puzzled  by  the  lax  rule 
of  the  new  owner,  an<l  K.itlean  told  (Jeneral  Davis  to  put  his  soldiers 
in  canoes  if  he  expectr  j  to  control  the  Tlingits.  When  the  troops  left 
they  enjoyed  a  seasor.  of  lawlessness,  l>ut  were  ipiickly  brought  around 
by  the  man-of-war  government.  Schools  and  |)ros()erous  trade  have 
transformed  then-,  and  they  are  but  trontier  lishermen,  loggers,  or 
boatmen,  differing  only  in  complexion  and  occasional  speech  from  the 
average  white  b.'.ckwoodsmati.  Their  canoes  are  the  only  picturesque 
thing  left  them  and  the  winter  dances  are  fast  taking  on  the  nature  of 
historical  play*,  repre?outatioi\s  of  ancient  times  and  customs.  The 
berry  feast  in  midsummer  is  often  celebrated  witli  spirit,  and  a  water 
procession  of  decorated  canoes  carries  the  whole  tribe  off  on  a  picnic  to 
gather  salmon-berries  on  favoured  shores, 
9 


122 


SITKA   AND  VICINITY. 


Lisiansky  made  a  vocibulnry  of  the  Sitkan  dialect,  and  Dixon  re- 
corded several  of  their  songs.  Huron  Wriingtll  wrote  imicli  of  them, and 
Veniaminoff  compiled  a  vuluablo  othnolojiical  work.  lie  recorded  their 
legends  and  folk-lore,  and  described  their  customs  in  detail.  Since  the 
transfer  the  only  ethnological  work  has  been  that  of  Lieutenant  George 
T.  Emmons,  U.  S.  N.,  whose  collections  in  the  Museum  of  Natural  His- 
tory, Central  Park,  New  York,  and  for  the  Ahiskan  section  in  the  Co- 
lumbian Exposition  at  Chicago  in  18'.'o,  eml)ody  all  of  Tlingit  art,  and 
his  note-books  contain  all  of  Tlingit  record  and  lore  resulting  from  nine 
years'  systematic  study. 


The  Ascent  of  Verstovoi. 

The  ascent  of  Verstovoi  is  the  most  profitable  day's  excursion  around 
Sitka.  The  first  shoulder,  the  Mountd'm  of  the  Cross  (2,597  ft.),  com- 
mands  as  fine  an  outlook  as  the  very  tip  of  the  Arrow-IIead  peak,  and 
may  be  reached  by  either  of  two  trails,  in  two  and  a  half  or  three  hours 
from  the  wharf.  No  climber  should  attempt  it  alone  or  unarmed,  as  the 
way  puzzles  woodsmen,  and  bears  are  numerous  in  the  salmon  season. 

The  old  Rtissian  Trail  starts  from  the  ford  of  Indian  River  at  the 
end  of  the  wood-road  leading  past  the  cemetery.  It  was  cleared  in  the 
last  decade  of  Russian  rule,  when  an  energetic  Alpine  Club  member 
scaled  and  planted  crosses  on  all  the  heights  around  the  bay.  During 
this  official's  stay  there  was  an  epidemic  of  mountain-climbing,  and  the 
Russian  women  took  part  in  the  many  picnics  and  dances  on  the 
heights.  The  trail  is  now  overgrown  and  blocked  in  many  places,  and 
is  longer  than  Koster^s  Trail  from  Jamestown  Bay. 

The  V  limber  may  be  rowed  to  the  water-trough  in  Jamestown  Bay, 
where  Koster^s  Trail  begins,  or  follow  the  path  leading  from  the  Lisi- 
ansky graves  on  Indian  River  through  to  the  bay.  At  low  tide  short 
cuts  may  be  taken  across  the  thick,  slimy  beds  of  sea-weed  covering  the 
rocky  beaches.  The  same  Executive  proclamation  that  reserved  the 
banks  of  Indian  River,  reserved  a  tract  of  land  250  ft.  wide  on  either 
side  of  the  little  stream  feeding  the  U.  S.  S.  Jamestown's  water-trough. 
The  trail  is  about  two  and  a  half  miles  to  the  Cross,  a  steep  and  steady 
ascent,  first  following  the  stream  to  the  logger's  cabin.  The  dense 
underbrush  ceases  at  about  the  level  of  800  ft.,  and  beyond  every- 
thing is  covered  with  moss.  At  the  timber-line  are  beds  of  yellow  vio- 
lets and  acres  of  heathery  bryanthus  and  cassiopea,  daisies,  buttercups, 
anemones,  and  cyclamen.  The  view  of  the  Barauof  mountains.  Silver 
Bay,  the  ocean,  sound,  and  Mt.  Edgecumbe,  with  Sitka  at  one's  feet, 
well  repay  the  climber  who  reaches  the  tall  wooden  Cross, 


N 


SITKA    AND   VICINITY. 


123 


Vrrnfovoi,  named  hccnusc  the  Hiunmit  was  thought  to  he  one  verst 
distant  from  the  Cantle,  ha.i  also  l)PC'n  known  as  I*y]»iitT  Mountain,  the 
Poucc,  llu!  Arrow  Head,  and  Anciior  Pcali — tlie  hitter  iiet'ause  a  snowy 
anchor  is  si'en  from  the  \.  outlincil  near  tlie  summit.  The  Verstovoi 
pealt  t-annot  he  reached  from  tiie  .lamestown  side.  Tlie  climber  must 
circle  around  the  snow-fields  on  the  valley  side  to  reach  the  small  plat- 
form ;J,2I»1  ft.  altove  the  hay.  A  record  was  left  by  the  W.  U.  T.  sur- 
veyors who  reached  the  top  and  took  observations  in  1805,  mid  the 
JmiicHtowii'H  oHicers  erected  a  fla;.;-.staff,  which  each  climbing  party  re- 
plants. The  peak  i.s  said  to  have  been  split  by  an  earth(|uake  in  the 
last  century,  exposing  the  smooth,  triangular  mass  shaped  like  an  arrow- 
head. By  climbing  the  slippery  grass  and  bryaiithus  beds  on  the  Cross 
side  to  the  hanging  hemlock  grove,  one  may  see  the  great  tent  roof  of 
Mt.  Crillon  and  tlie  trijjle  peak  of  Mt.  Fairweatlier  lying  a  hundred 
miles  due  N. 


Excursions  in  the  liay  and  Vicinity  of  Sitkn. 

No  other  settlement  in  Alaska  offers  so  much  in  its  immediate 
neighbourhood  as  Sitka.  The  a.-^cent  of  Ver^fovoi  i.i  the  only  land 
excursion  possible  from  the  town.  All  other  trips  involve  cruises  in 
canoe  or  in  sail-boat,  unless  a  launch  is  brought  I'lom  Juneau  or  Killis- 
noo.  ShumakofT,  Clements,  Frobese,  and  other  local  guides  will  under- 
take all  arrangements  for  sportsmen,  naturalists,  or  pure  pleasure-seek- 
ers. The  usual  rates  arc  $2  a  day  for  a  canoe,  and  an  additional  per 
diem  for  each  oarsman.  Sail-boats  with  covered  cabins  cost  $5  to  $10 
a  day.  The  regular  day's  wages  for  camp  hands  and  others  is  ,$2.  The 
guides  expect  more. 

The  Harbour  Islands. — It  is  possible  to  make  a  canoe  or  fish- 
ing trip  among  the  harbour  islands  during  the  steamer's  regular  wait. 

Japonski,  opposite  the  Indian  village,  is  the  largest  of  the  130  Har- 
bour Islands,  it  measures  a  mile  in  length  and  is  a  half  mile  in 
width.  Its  name,  "  Japan,"  was  given  because  of  the  residence  there  of 
the  crew  of  a  Japanese  junk  wrecked  at  this  point  in  1805.  It  was  the 
site  of  a  large  native  village  in  IJaranof's  time.  In  1S40  Captain  Etholin 
built  a  magnetic  and  meteorological  observatory,  and  records  were  kept 
until  the  day  of  transfer.  General  Davis  reserved  all  the  harbour  isl- 
ands for  military  <ise,  and  Japonski  was  garrison,  stock-yard,  and  naval 
coal  station  in  turn.  Michael  Travers,  "  Duke  of  Japonski,"  lived 
there  and  cultivated  vegetable  gardens  and  hay-fields,  until  the  recla- 
mation of  the  land  for  Government  use  in  1890  drove  him  insane,  and  a 
special  agent  was  sent  from  Washington,  D.  C,  to  convey  him  to  St. 
Eliziibeth's  Asylum  near  that  city,  the  only  refuge  of  the  kind  available 
to  Alaskan  patients.  The  coal-sheds  and  powder-magazine  are  the 
only  buildings  besides  Travers's  cabin.  Etholin's  observatory  was 
burned  by  the  Indians  when  the  troops  left. 


124 


SITKA    AND   VICINITY. 


//iiihnur  hliintl  lies  S.  of  .Taponski,  and  contains  several  Indian 
rar/iiK  often  niistiiM'ii  for  shamans'  firavt-s,  and  Alriitsii  Island  beyond 
is  llie  site  of  tnickniirdcns  of  a  retired  ninrjne.  Tlie  siiip  channel  lies 
between  Ahut.ski  and  Kidkini  i>lHnds,  tlie  latter  tiie  home  of  a  chief 
converted  and  liaptized  by  Venianiinofl",  and  wlio  related  to  the  latter 
much  of  the  legend  and  folklore  he  recorded. 

Mokhiiiiti  (Kiifriied)  Jslnm/  is  the  landmark  for  ships  fi'oin  the 
ocean.  It  was  chosen  for  a  lijrht-hoiise  site  in  18H7,  and  (!a|)tain  Heard.s- 
lee'8  wooden  beacon  on  the  seaward  blufl'  is  often  taken  for  a  shonmu's 
grave.  Snjmtl  hhoid  was  the  place  for  bonfires  to  lij^ht  and  lead  ships 
in  Russian  days.  The  (iriufi  of  a  gun  ciiiised  the  beacon  on  the  citadel 
roof  to  (lash  out,  and  men  were  in  waiting  to  light  the  signal-fires  that 
marked  the  course  into  the  harbour.  Departing  ships  were  blessed  by 
the  Itussian  bishop  in  full  canonicals,  and  deck,  mainnuist,  Hag,  and 
crew  were  sprinkled  with  the  jewelled  holy-water  brush.  All  small 
boats  rowed  three  times  round,  singing  a  farewell,  and  nine  cheers  sjjed 
the  ship  as  the  sails  filled. 

Sea  bass  may  be  caught  at  each  flood  tide  ofT  the  N.  shore  of  Ju- 
ponski,  and  on  tlie  S.  shore  between  it  and  the  bold  bluffs  of  Charcoal 
Island.  Cod,  floimders,  and  sea  trout  reward  the  angler,  and  any  na- 
tive boatman  k>iows  the  best  fishing-banks  and  trolling-grounds  and 
the  times  and  places  for  salmon  "  runs."  Hetween  JapouKH  and  S(uiaJui 
Island,  next  beyond,  W.  of  it,  is  a  sea  garden  worth  floating  over  to 
admire.  The  growths  of  sea-weed  and  submarine  plants  are  of  tropical 
luxuriance.  Fronds  as  large  as  a  l>anana  or  lysichton  leaf  crowd  stems 
80  ft.  long;  kelp  lines  loo  an'l  200  ft.  long  are  coiled  on  the  surface, 
and  their  "  orange  heads  "  float  in  groups.  Coral  and  sponges  are  found 
in  the  bay,  the  teredo  is  as  dcstruetive  as  in  the  tropics,  and  strange 
drift  is  left  by  the  ocean  currents.  ^Sasn/ui,  \V.  of  Japonski,  is  the  most 
beautiful  of  tho  island.s — the  "  black  beaeh  "  o».  the  S.  W.  shore  com- 
manding the  finest  view  of  Alt.  Edgecumbe.  Beds  of  large  blue-bells  and 
thickets  of  salmon-berries  are  found  on  all  the  islands,  and  they  are 
nesting-places  of  the  olive-baeked  thrushes,  whose  song  is  a  repeated 
"  7V  Dvutn  !  Tf  Deutn  !  Te  Demn  I  "  in  ascending  notes  of  entrancing 
sweetness.  Crows,  the  red  footed  "oyster-catchers,"  sidle  over  all 
Alaska  beaches  in  search  of  clams,  but  find  al)alones  on  these  islet 
shores,  pry  them  off  and  carry  them  to  the  trce-to]is  to  devour.  These 
scavengers  are  guardian  spirits  and  the  great  Crow  is  tutelary  genius 
of  the  region.  Deceased  shamans  and  illustrious  ones  of  the  Crow 
clan  are  supposed  to  assume  this  form,  and  this  reincarnation  saves 
them  from  native  shot  or  snare. 


The  Ascent  of  Mt.  Edgecumbe. 

The  climbing  of  this  extinct  volcano  on  Kruzoff  Island  involves  an 
indefinite  time,  as  one  reaches  its  base  by  launch  or  sail-boat  after 
crossing  waters  open  to  the  heaviest  swells  when  southeast  winds  blow. 
Fogs  are  frequent,  and  the  waters  are  full  of  sunken  rocks.     Landing 


SITKA  AND  Vicinity. 


125 


on  the  Sitkr  side,  there  is  a  hard  tramp  for  5  or  7  miles  through  a 
swampy  foit  .,  to  the  actual  slope.  In  favourable  weather  a  better 
landing  may  be  made  in  a  cove  on  the  ocean  side,  whence  it  is  only  2 
or  3  miles  to  i^loping  ground.  Once  out  on  the  open  lava  and  scoriae  it 
la  but  an  easy  walk  up  an  incline,  and  the  crater  is  entered  by  a  gap  in 
the  southeast  rim.  The  snow  leaves  the  slope.-*  and  crater  entirely  in 
midsummer.  Steam  rises  from  many  sulphur-crusted  vent-holes,  and 
beautiful  specimens  of  sulphur,  lava,  and  volcanic  glass  are  obtained. 
Several  women  have  made  the  ascent  in  recent  years. 

After  Tschirikow  charted  this  mountain  of  St.  Lazaria  it  rvar  nest 
seen  by  Maurelle,  the  pilot  of  Heceta  and  Bodega  y  Quadra's  expedition 
sent  out  by  the  Spanish  Viceroy  Bucarelly.  lie  entered  "the  great 
bay  among  mountains"  St.  Jacinth's  day,  August  IG,  1775,  named  the 
peak  San  Jacinto  and  the  bay  Guadalupe.  La  Perouse  next  saw 
this  peak  of  St.  Hyacinth,  and  then  Cook,  May  2,  ]V7><,  named  it  Mt. 
Fdgecumbe,  and  the  bay  the  Hay  of  Terrors.  Dixon  called  the  l)ay 
Norfolk  Sound,  and  Marchand  (1791)  took  his  predecessors  to  task  for 
this  renaming.  "  Que  gugneroit  la  Goograpliie  i\  ce  changenient  de 
nom  ?  qu'  y  gagneroit  I'iinmortti  Cook  "  .''  lie  exclaimed,  when  the  natives 
made  him  understand  that  the  bay  was  Tchin-Kitane  (a  useful  arm). 
He  did  not  record  the  native  name — Thigh,  or  sleeping  mountain. 

Two  Kadiak  hunters  climbed  the  mountain  in  1804  and  rcjjorted 
the  crater  filled  with  water.  Lisiausky  and  Lieutenant  Powalshin  a.^- 
cended  in  1805,  an<i  found  "a  basin  2  miles  in  circumference  and  40 
fathoms  deep  filled  with  snow,"'  July  23d.  Lisiansky  estimated  the 
height  at  8,000  ft.,  with  forest  reaching  to  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of 
the  top.  Lutke  was  told  (18'.i7)  that  the  mountain  was  in  crui)tion  in 
17'.*6  and  1804.  In  18  "^  Professor  Davidson  estimated  its  height  at 
2,855  ft.  In  1880  Professor  William  Libby,  Jr.,  of  Princeton  College, 
climbed  to  the  crater's  rim  and  gave  its  hciglit  as  ;{,782  ft.  The  whole 
mountain,  according  to  Prof.  Libbey,  is  only  a  parasitic  cone  on  a 
greater  volcanic  nuiss  of  which  the  Ct'in(l\^  Iiin'k\  N.  of  Edgecumhe,  was 
the  chief  vent-hole.  The  r  .al  crater  in  the  Camel's  Back  is  5  miles  long 
and  3  miles  wide,  a  basin  1,500  ft.  deep,  with  an  internal  slope  of  about 
60°.  The  level  floor  is  covered  with  forests  anij  open  paiks,  «it!i  sev- 
eral lakes.  The  Camel's  Back  rose  from  the  sea  c;.  des  ago,  and  built 
around  it  the  teriaced  ])latforms  constituting  Kruzoff  Island.  Edge- 
cumbe  was  formed  on  its  uiert  slopes  only  a  few  score  centuries 


ago. 


Sportsmen  find  many  attractions  within  the  18-mile  limits  of  the 
Kruzoff  shores.  There  are  licar  and  deer.  There  is  a  lake  on  the 
Sitka  side  where  rainbow  trout  may  be  t'aught.  There  are  many  clam 
beaches,  and  a  bay  where  Captain  Beardslee  found  as  many  soft-shell 
crabs  as  in  those  exceptional  seasons  when  Mass(!tt  Inlet  and  Prince  fif 
Wales  bays  have  been  edged  with  bioad  windrows  of  cast-off  shells. 


12(; 


SITKA   AND   VICINITY. 


Silver  Buy  and  the  Sitka  Mining  District* 

Silver  Ray,  or  Serrebrcnnikof  Bootka,  n.s  named  for  a  Siberian  ex- 
ploiPr  kincd  at  Copp<>r  River,  is  the  A''(Xv7'c,  or  " lake  belonging  to 
black  fish-men  "  of  tiv-  native?*.  It  opens  at  the  south  point  of  James- 
town Bay,  2;  miles  twlow  Sitka,  and  extends  for  6  miles  with  a  width 
of  lesH  than  half  a  mile  (>«'tween  mountains  rising  precipitously  2,000 
ft.  »nd  mftr*-  Lakes  <^i  tl*f  south  foot  of  Verstovoi  feed  Saw-mill  Creek. 
The  remains  of  tktf  Kussutn  i-rib  dam  and  fium'^  -iie  on  the  bank  a 
quarter  of  *  mile  fiMnii  the  •fc'Mith.  The  mill  was  i  oed  by  the  In- 
dians &1f0^  the  'Vyarture  of  ''i*'  tr</"ps.  Malma  or  Dolly  Varden  trout 
are  to  ^■^  caught  Mow  tli^  dam,  and  in  the  farther  waters  the  rarer 
beautif  s  with  the  rainbow  .-tj^eckles  abide. 

Round  Afountinn,  at  the  turn  of  the  fiord,  is  a  symmetrical  green 
landmark,  with  a  lofty  cave  on  its  'ast  sid(!  into  which  a  canoe  may  t)e 
rowed  at  high  tide.  Kalampipx  Lwul-S/idc,  on  the  oj)posi'.,e  mountain 
wall,  marks  where  a  Russian  hunte  in  chasing  a  deer  encountered  a 
bear  just  as  the  earth  trembled  and  the  crust  of  the  mountain  slipped 
down  into  the  water.  The  dcei'  wa,'  caught  by  the  branches  of  a  tree 
at  the  water's  edge,  and  Kaluinpy.  ^hile  hanging  on  the  next  tree,  saw 
the  bear  drown,  /ienr  B<ii/,  the  tirst  indentation  on  the  east  shore  and 
liome  of  a  famous  gi  i/./ly,  holds  a  magnificent  landscape  cation,  three 
massive  peaks  ranging  in  echelon  on  one  side  with  a  massive  broad- 
armed  cross  outlined  by  the  snow  on  KnpoUnoid's  sHnmiit — a  symbol 
seen  from  the  farthest  end  of  Sitka  Sound,  A  waggon-road  leads  up 
the  canon  to  a  group  of  mines. 

At  the  extreme  end  of  the  bay  the  Silver  Creek  Fall  shoots  down 
300  ft.  in  long  rapids,  the  last  leap  of  60  ft.  bringing  it  to  tide-waters. 
From  the  wharf  of  the  Stewart  mine  a  road  leads  to  thr  mill  and  tun- 
nels of  a  valuable  group  of  mines.  There  it-  fine  fishing  in  Salmon 
Creek,  an<l  trails  lead  to  several  mines,  those  of  the  Great  Eastern 
Group  lying  on  the  divide  between  Silver  Bay  and  Gloubokoe  Lake  at 
an  elevation  of  6,r>o0  ft. 

The  O'jl'f  Mines. — The  Russian  Fur  Company's  officers  nevci  wunted 
to  discover  and  made  but  half-hearted  search  for  precious  minerals, 
their  charter  providing  that  any  lands  containing  miiicrals  should  be- 
long fo  the  crown.  Mining  1  us  been  most  disastrous  to  fur  trading 
interests,  and  opposed  by  such  everywhere.  Baraiiof  is  saiil  to  have 
kiouted  a  promyshlenik  who  brought  a  piece  of  gold  (iuart/.  from 
Silver  Hay,  and  discouraj.t'd  prospecting  for  all  time.  I'rof.  Blake 
reported  to  Mr.  Seward,  iti  18*')7,  that  theic  was  little  promise  of 
precious  metals  "  in  the  hard  conglomerate  or  grit  passing  into  argil- 


THE   LARANOF   SHORE   SOUTH   OF   8ITKA. 


127 


lite"  in  the  iinniediiite  neiylibourliood  of  Sitka.  In  ISYl  Edward 
Dovle  ff)iiTi(i  lioiit  ^old  in  the  Silver  Bay  wliores,  uncovered  a  quartz 
Ktrinner  on  Kdund  Mountain,  and  anotlier  on  Indian  River.  Tlie  Haley 
and  Kodijjcrs  lode,  on  Sahiion  Cieek,  was  the  firtit  worked  by  garrison 
oliiecrti.  The  Stewart  Mill,  on  the  neighhourinj;  claim,  was  built  in 
1877,  and  the  Bald  Mountain  clain^s  were  worked  for  a  few  yeurs. 
The  Juneau  discoveries  drew  miners  away,  and  the  district  was  vir- 
tually abandoned.  Governor  Swineford's  enerfry  caused  a  revival  of 
milling'  interest.s  in  1885  ;  other  mills  were  built  and  work  pushed,  but 
a  second  lull  ensued  when  he  left,  and  for  several  seasons  only  pro- 
specting and  assessment  work  was  done.  Differences  among  stockhold- 
ers and  want  of  means  have  prevented  any  of  the  mines  being  thor- 
oughly and  systematically  worked  for  any  time.  The  tons  of  high 
grade  ore  taken  out,  and  the  rich  specimens  obtained,  prove  the  ex- 
istence and  (piality  of  the  lodes,  and  the  prosperity  of  the  region  ii 
but  a  matter  of  time. 

The  Baranof  Shore  south  of  Sitka. 

The  tourist  can  visit  The  Redonbt,  or  Drashnikoff  settlement,  in 
the  Toyon's,  or  Ozerski  Bui/,  12  miles  S.  of  Sitka,  and  return  in  a  day 
by  canoe  ;  or  one  may  go  through  to  the  Hot  Springs  in  one  day's 
canoe  trip,  stopping  at  the  Redoubt  on  the  way. 

From  Sitka  the  course  leads  for  8  miles  through  a  maze  of  wooded 
islets  to  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  that  extends  4  miles  as  a  narrow  canon 
or  rock  cutting  to  the  natural  dam  holding  the  waters  of  the  Glou- 
bokoe  Lake,  or  the  "  Deep  Sea."  Drashnikoff  Peak  rises  at  the  end 
of  the  bay  perpendictdarly  from  the  water  1,500  ft.  The  Russirn.s 
had  a  fortified  settlement  and  jail  here,  and  cured  their  winter  sup- 
plies of  salmon.  There  were  2  flour-mills,  a  saw-mill,  tannery,  church, 
and  resi'ence  buildings,  within  a  stockaded  post,  and  substantial 
weirs  in  the  raj)ids  i)etween  the  lake  and  bay.  Lutke  visited  and 
described  the  Redoubt  in  1827,  and  Sir  (Jeorge  Simpson  in  1844.  The 
buildings  were  burned  by  the  natives  after  the  troops  left  Sitka,  aad 
the  stockade  destroyed.  The  pioneer  Alaskan  cannery  eptahlishcd  at 
old  Sitka  in  1878  was  moved  to  the  Redoubt,  but  closed  in  189U  and 
for  several  seasons,  and  woik  c(mducted  at  lied  Bay,  20  miles  below, 
where  the  catch  of  several  salmon  streams  could  be  centred. 

(•loubokoc  Litke,  8  miles  long  and  less  than  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  wide,  has  a  depth  of  50  fathoms,  and  is  chiefly  fed  by  a  large 
stream  at  the  N.  V..  end.  The  stream  may  be  ascended  3  miles,  and 
trails  lead  from  tiie  banks  lo  the  mines  on  Balil  Mountain  and  down 
the  range,  and  over  the  divide  to  Salmon  Creek  and  Silver  Bay.    There 


«»-,/'■' 


128 


THE   BARxiNOF    SHOEE    SOUTH   OF   SITKA. 


is  a  fine  glacier  on  the  mountain  at  the  E,  enJ  of  the  lake,  and  the 
mountain  walls  rise  precipitously  on  either  side  of  the  flooded  caiion. 
From  the  S.  E.  end  of  the  lake  a  portage  of  a  mile  crosses  a  low  divide 
to  Hot  Springs,  or  Klukacheff  Bay.  The  Redoul)t  is  an  admirable 
headquarters  for  sportsmen  or  anglers,  and  permission  may  be  had  to 
use  some  of  the  abandoned  cannery  buildings  for  shelter. 

The  White  Sulphur  Hot  Springs. 

At  the  highest  tide,  a  chain  of  intricate  passes  may  be  used  by 
canoes,  and  several  miles  saved  in  the  voysige  from  the  Re.'oubt  to 
Hot  Springs  Bay.  It  is  worth  several  hours'  delay  to  thread  these 
labyrinths  through  the  trees  and  rocks,  and  it  furnishes  the  ideal 
water  trip  of  the  archipelago,  bringing  more  of  landscape  beauty  in 
range  than  any  other  three  hours  of  canoeing.  The  Hot  Springs  cura- 
t  ve  (jualities  were  long  known  to  the  natives,  and  the  bay  was  noutial 
ground  where  all  tribes  met,  but  none  built  a  permanent  villap". 

Libiansky  discovered  or  explored  the  liay  in  IHo.'i,  and  .-^pent  a 
week  tliere.  Lutke  mentions  his  visitirjg  the  one  house  at  the  springs 
in  1827  and  in  1887  Cu[)tain  Belcher  spoke  of  the  saw-mills  p.c 
"  Les  Sources,  or  warm  8[)rings,  which  serves  as  a  sort  of  Hurryw- 
gate  to  the  colony."  Sir  (Jeorge  Simpson  enjoyed  his  stay  in  the 
comlortablc  (juarters  at  the  hospital.  In  ISft'i  the  natives  attacked 
the  aettleiuent,  Imrued  the  buildings,  and  drove  the  invalids  to  the 
w  )ods.  All  ol  th^m  reached  Sitka,  allhowgh  comnelled  to  cross  the 
mountains  in  tiic-  dead  of  winter.  The  new  stockaded  i)ost  contained  a 
hospital,  chapel,  residences  for  two  doctoi:^,  and  o  pharmacist,  and 
there  was  daily  comimmication  by  stcam-laimch  with  Sitka.  There 
were  gardens  and  hay-tields  on  the  great  cleared  hillside,  and  the  sub- 
ter-anean  heat  still  forces  a  rii'h  vegetation.  The  i)uil(lings  were  all 
burned  by  the  natives  after  the  dcpaiturc  of  the  troops  from  Sitka. 

By  an  oversight,  the  Hot  Springs  were  omitted  from  the  list  of  lands 
reserved  for  Government  use,  aral  ihis  tract  was  taken  up  by  a  Sitka 
merchant,  who  has  built  a  group  of  cottages  and  a  rude  bath-house. 
Arrangcnients  for  the  use  of  these  cottages  inay  be  made  in  Sitka, 
where  the  keys  are  kept.  A  ciiargC'  of  50  ceiitf  a  inght  is  made  for 
each  person  sleeping  in  the  hay-fiHed  bunks  of  the  cottages,  using  the 
cooking-stoves  and  fiie-w,;;;ii. 

The  White  Sulpl.'ur  Spring  bubbles  from  a  gerij  like  pool  and 
crevices  among  the  rocks,  and  has  a  temperature  of  155°  Fahr  The 
other  spring  has  a  temperature  of  1-2  ,  and  both  are  impregnated 
with  sulphur,  iron  chlorine,  and  magnesia.     They  are  sovereign  for 


"TO   WESTWARD"    FHOM   8ITKA  TO   UNALASKA.     129 

rheumatism  and  skin  diseases,  and  are  said  to  be  the  most  valuable 
springs  medicinally  of  any  N.  of  the  Harriaou  Hot  Springs  on  the 
Fraser  River. 

The  evtensivv.'  meadows  and  gardens  cleared  by  the  Russians  are 
relapsing  to  wililernesses  again,  and  moscc'ifoes  arc  as  many  and  ;enom- 
0U8  as  in  tisiaMsity's  day.  There  is  a  Tlingit  .egend  tliat  the  mosciuito 
war^  originally  a  giant  spider,  but  an  evil  spirit  threw  hiin  in  the  (ire, 
where  he  shrivelled  to  iiis  present  size  and  iiew  away,  with  a  coal  of 
fire  in  his  mouth,  with  which  ho  retaliates  upon  manldml.  Humming- 
birds nest  in  the  trees,  and  thrushes  cull  from  island  to  shore. 

The  mountains  ))ehind  the  bay  are  full  of  game,  and  the  black-tailed 
deer  may  be  easily  found,  or  lured  by  the  low,  wailing  sound  made  by 
blowing  on  i'  blade  of  grass  held  between  the  thum!.*''  Sportsmpu 
have  had  t)ear-h  ating  in  the  dense  berry  thickets,  and  the.e  are  sev- 
eral trout  streams  near. 

One  of  the  finest  views  of  Mt.  Edgecumbe  is  from  the  Hot  Springs 
hillside,  tlie  hyacinthine  peak  seeming  to  float  enchi-.ntcd  beyond  the 
long.  isIand-<lotti.'d  water  foreground.  The  ball  of  the  July  sun  drops 
evenly  within  the  crater's  edges,  with  the  most  superb  colour  pano- 
rama nhat  northern  skies  end  sea  can  summon,  and  not  an  hour  ot  the 
long-drawn  summer  sunsets  should  be  missed  by  those  who  visit  the 
steaming  hillside  by  the  ocean. 


"To  westward"  fram  Sitka  to  Unalaska.  along  the 
Continental  Shore. 

A  steamer  of  the  Xorfh  American  Commercial  Co.  leaves  Sitka  for 
Unalaska  \ipon  the  arrival  of  alternate  mail  steamer.-  fiom  the  Sound 
during  seven  nxmths  in  the  year  and  on  or  about  the  :uh  day  of  June, 
July,  and  Augn.^t,  when  jjossihle.  The  P.  C.  S.  S.  Co.  allow  stop-over 
l)rivilege8  to  those  holding  its  exclusion  tickets,  and  the  opportunity  is 
given  the  tourist  to  see  Mt.  St.  Elias,  a  diflferent  scenic  panorama,  and  the 
stcange  life  in  the  farthest  and  most  out-of-th  -way  region  of  the  United 
States.  The  steamer  calls  at  Yakutat,  Orca.,  Nuchek,  Kadiak,  Kailuk, 
Unga,  and  Sand  Point,  giving  tourists  opportunity  to  .-ce  everything 
of  interest  on  or  near  the  route,  within  the  27  or  30  days  scheduled  for 
the  round  trip  of  2,r)00  miles  from  Sitka.  The  fare,  $120  for  the  round 
trip,  includes  meals  and  berths  going  and  loniing,  hoard  and  lodging 
at  the  X.  A.  C.  Co.'s  house  at  Dutch  Harbour,  Unalaska,  and  the  trip 
to  Bogoslov  beyond  Unalaska.     The  steamer  is  staunch  and  well  ofti- 


130    "TO   WKSTWARD"    FROM   SITKA    TO   UNALA8KA. 

ccriul,  and  all  the  accoiiiiiiodations  for  tlic  22  cabin  passcnf^tTsarcaliovo 
deck.  In  niidsiiiiinier  smooth  passaj^es  may  be  expected.  The  Kadiak 
and  Unalaska  regions  contain  the  oldest  Hussian  settlements,  but  they 
had  no  regular  commimicatioii  with  the  rest  of  the  worhl  until  the 
establishment  of  this  mail  route  in  1891.  Up  to  that  time  even  criminals 
were  sent  to  Sitka  for  trial  by  way  of  San  Fi'aneiseo.  The  tourist  ser- 
vice was  inaugurated  in  lH'.t3.  Passage  can  be  engaged  only  from  the 
N.  A.  C.  Co.'s  agent  at  Sitka. 


From  Sitka  to  Yakutut. 

The  westward  steamer's  course  is  directly  out  from  the  harbour  to 
the  ojien  ocean  and  around  Mt.  Edgecumbe.  .Mt.  St.  Klias  has  been 
seen  from  Salisbtiry  Sound,  at  the  N.  I'ud  of  Kruzoflf  Island,  and  on  any 
clear  day  is  visible  100  miles  at  sea. 

There  are  but  two  indentations  in  the  plateau  bordering  the  ocean 
from  Cross  Sound  to  Yakutat  Bay,  and  these.  LUuya  Hay  and  Dry  Hay, 
have  no  commercial  importance. 

The  plateau  supports  four  great  peak.s — Mt.  La  P(5rouse  (li,oOO  ft.), 
Mt.  Crillon  (\^,W<)  ft.),  Lituya  Mt.  (10,(10(1  ft.),  and  Mt.  Fair.veather 
(15,r)00  ft.).  The  Crillon  and  La  J'eroutic  Glacier  join  and  front  on  the 
ocean  for  2  miles  just  N.  of  Icy  Cape. 

Lituya  Bay,  40  miles  N.  of  Cape  Spencer,  cuts  in  6  miles  to 
the  base  of  Lituya  Mt.  in  T-shajie,  and  the  crotJs-pieee  is  8  miles  in 
length. 

It  presents  the  greatest  dangers  to  navigation.  The  tide  enters  m  a 
bore,  and  it  can  only  be  lun  at  slack  water.  La  Perousc  lost  two  boats' 
crews  in  this  bore  in  178(),  and  erected  a  wooden  Monument  to  their 
memory  on  Cenotaph  Island  within  the  bay.  Dr.  Dall  surveyed  the  bay 
in  1874,  described  his  entering  with  tlu'  tide  as  "sailing  down-hill,"  and 
epitomized  its  scenery  as  "  a  soi't  of  Yosemite  Valley,  retaining  its  gla- 
ciers, and  w'th  its  floor  submerged  tiOO  or  80(i  ft."  Lieutenant  ().  T. 
Emmons  explored  it,  and  crossed  overland  to  Dry  Bay.  Ue  then  learned 
the  native  legend  of  "  the  two  men  of  Lituya,"  who,  assuming  the  shape 
of  bears,  sit  at  either  side  of  the  entrance  holding  a  sail-cloth  just  be- 
neath the  surface,  aiul  rudely  tossing  any  incautious  canoemau  who 
paddles  across  it.  Placer  mining  has  been  suecessfuUy  conducted  on 
the  shores  of  the  bay  since  IHH'.i. 

Dry  Bay  is  a  shallow  lagoon  at  the  delta  of  the  Alsekh  River, 
which  rises  near  the  Chilkat's  source  and  flows  in  behind  Mt.  Fair- 


I'h.i       i|.li  l.^   I'r '1   1.  r,  Hussell, 
Ml.  SI.  Elhi.t.  from  End  •  ,r  Saiuorur  JJills. 


"TO   WESTWARD"    FROM    SITKA   TO   UN  ALASKA.     131 

woiithor  tluoufrli  tlie  (lc|)iession  iioteii  liy  Captuin  Cook.  It  was  ex- 
plored from  source  to  inoutli  In-  the  Frai/k  Leslie  Hxpeditioii  of  1890, 
along  the  old  trail  used  by  Klohkutz's  Ciiilkats.  This  glacial  river  is 
crowded  with  salriion  in  their  season. 

Yakutut  Bay,  45  miles  ahove  Dry  Bay,  is  only  an  indentation  of 
the  coast  curving  inward  some  20  miles,  and  the  whole  force  of  the 
north  PaciKc  sweeps  into  it,  rendering  landing  diftieult  and  dangerous 
at  all  times.  The  bay  always  contains  much  floating  ice  from  the  gla- 
ciers at  its  head,  and  a  heavy  surf  beats  (m  the  St.  Ellas  .-hore. 

There  is  an  Indian  village,  trading-store,  and  Moravian  mission  at 
Port  3fulffrnve,  opposite  Khantiiak  Island,  where  Barancf  established  a 
colony  of  Siberian  convicts.  Several  ships  weio  built  there,  but  the 
natives  burned  the  fort  and  massacred  the  settlers.  There  was  great 
excitement  in  1880  at  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  bhck-sand  beaches, 
and  in  1883-'8t)-'88  there  were  considerable  mining  camps.  By  using 
the  same  rotary  hand  amalgamators  as  on  Californian  gold  beaches,  as 
much  as  ,$40  a  day  to  the  man  was  realized.  The  Yakutat  chief  ex- 
acted licenses  and  royalty  from  the  unprotected  miners.  A  tidal  wav 
heaped  the  beach  with  windrows  of  dog  fish,  which,  decaying  in  the  hot 
summer  sun,  8oake<l  the  sands  with  oil  and  the  mercury  could  not  act. 
The  miners  moved  to  a  new  beach ;  a  tidal  wave  w  ashed  all  the  black  sands 
away,  and  the  camp  was  abandoned.  The  sea  has  since  been  restoring 
the  black  sands.  A  vein  of  good  coal  was  found  a  mile  and  a  half  in- 
land and  JiOO  ft.  above  the  bay,  and,  but  for  the  difficulty  of  loading 
ships  in  that  bay,  the  coal  problem  would  be  solved  for  all  the  Sitkan 
region.  Yakutat  village  contains  some  original  Tlingit  lodges,  and  the 
Yakutat  women  are  the  finest  basket-weavers  on  the  coast. 

In  1890  Captain  C.  L.  Hooper,  U.  S.  R.  M.,  pushed  into  the  head  of 
Malaspina's  Dhenvhnutmoit  Hay,  GO  miles  beyond  the  point  where  the 
Spanish  explorer  reprc-^entcd  the  water-line  as  ending,  and  discovered 
the  Dalton  and  IIubl)ard  tide-water  glaciers.  In  1891  Prof.  Russell  ex- 
plored the  bay  farther  in  a  canoe,  and  found  it  benJing  sharply  south- 
ward and  extending  for  another  do  miles  to  a  level  prairie  country  at 
the  foot  of  Mt.  Fairwcather.  Prof.  Russell  charted  the  bay  and  named 
Mts.  Unaua,  Ruhamah,  and  Piuta, 


© 


132    "TO  WESTWARD"    FROM   SITKA  TO    UNALA8KA. 

iHt.  St.  VMan, 

Since  Bering  Hifjlited  tlie  liolnhoi  Sho/da  ("  <>;reut  peak ")  on  St. 
EliuB  (liiy,  1741,  it  lias  hi'cii  tlie  pmi  of  iiiiiiiy  navif^iitors  and  explorers, 
and  tln'ir  records  of  its  Leiglit,  latitude,  and  longitude  are: 

Height  and  Poaithm  of  Mt.  St.  h'licui. 


DM6. 

Authority, 

IMgbt. 

Latltudti. 

Lon 

gituda. 

1778 

Cook* 

12,072  ft. 



17,8.Vl  ft. 

n.R'JOfV 
1(;,9.«- 

i«,o;i8  » 

1(1,758  " 

14,070  " 
lO.-'iOOi  100  " 

(eBtlmated) 
18,500  ft. 

15,.350  " 

18,100±100  " 

18,110±100  " 
18,024  ■' 
18,080  " 

1780 

La  PerouHO 

00' 

1.V 

00" 

140* 

10'  00" 

1787 

I'ortlock  und  Dixon  * 

Doll^'lllHH  ♦ 

1788 

1791 

Malufpiiin 

(lO 
tiO 

17 
22 

;« 
m 

140 
140 

.W    17 

1704 

V^iiiK.'imvcr 

HO   00 

18;}7 

BflclUT 

lfW7 

UuKHiun         Ilyilrographic 
Chart,  1M7H 

00 

(» 

00 
00 

00 
00 

21 

•  M 

21 

17 

21 
20 

00 

:«i 
w 

30 

00 
45 

141 
140 
140 
140 

141 
141 

00   00 

1847 

Toln'iikof  (Noli'H) 

.M    00 

1849 
1872 

lVl)c'iikof  (Clinrt  VI 1 1 

Bach.  (,'an.  IiihcIii 

.54  00 
51    00 

1874 
1877 

EiiL'liHh   Adiniiulty   Chart 
2172 

r.  8.  Cf .ant  Survey 

Prof.  Cliac.  Tavlor,  Limit. 
C.  K.  S.  VVoodt 

Lieut.  F.  Hchwatkn,  Prof. 
William    Libhy,  ijr.,  A. 
W.  Heton-Karr  J 

W.    IL    Topham,    Kdwin 
Tophain,   William   Wil- 
lianiH,  (ioornL-  Broke 

Mark    B.    Kerr,    topofjra- 
phcr  II 

Prof.    I.    C.    RucHcll    (for 
National  tJuographic  So- 
ciety;   

00  00 
00    12 

1880 

1888 

1890 

1891 

00 

17 

51 

140 

.55   :iO 

1892 

Turner,    McCirath    (U.   8. 

Coast  Survi'v) 

U  S.  C.aiid  (t.,  McCJrath.. 
Prince  Lui(;i,  of  Savoy 

1894 
1897 

CO 

17 

85 

140 

55   47 

*  No  obscrvntions  nindc.  t  Indians  obliged  them  to  turn  back. 

}  New  York  Times  K.\j)edition.   Beached  < 'haix  llillH.    No obHervatlouf*  made. 
f  National    (ieographic   Society's   Expedition,  commanded  by   I'rof.  I.  C. 
Ruweeli. 

It  wa.-^  reported  as  eniitting  smoke  ami  vapour  in  18H9,  and  in  18-17, 
at  tlie  time  of  tlie  gicat  Sitka  carthtiuake,  tlamc  ami  ashes  came  from 
its  summit.  I'rof.  Ru.Hsell  and  F'rince  Liiigi  found  sufficient  geologic 
evidence  to  prove  that  the  peak  is  not  volcanic. 

The  ascent  of  Mt.  St.  Elias  offers  the  longest  snow-climb  in  the 
world  outside  of  arctic  or  antarctic  regions.  The  line  of  perpetual 
enow  is  at  3,000  ft.  Fuel  and  stippliea  must  be  carried  from  the  start, 
and  weeks  spent  in  tents  on  the  ice. 


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"TO   WESTWARD"    FROM   SITKA  TO   UNALASKA.     133 

The  members  of  the  Topham  Expedition  were  all  experienced  Alpine 
Club  climbtTs,  and  were  first  to  stand  on  Mt.  St.  Elias  slopeiJ.  They 
ascended  from  Icy  Bay  to  the  rim  of  the  crater  on  the  S.  E.  side,  a 
point  11,460  ft.  by  aneroid  measurement.  Mr.  Williams,  of  New  Lon- 
don, the  only  American  of  the  party,  left  a  tin  box  containing  a  United 
States  flag  as  a  record  at  that  point.  The  expedition  of  the  National 
Geographic  Society  of  1890,  under  Prof.  I.  C.  Russell,  crossed  Yakutat 
Bay  and  reached  a  height  of  9,600  ft.  on  the  E.  face  of  the  mountain 
on  the  Newton  Glacier.  In  1891  Prof.  Russell  was  sent  again  by  the 
same  society.  Six  lives  were  lost  in  landing  in  the  surf  at  Icy  Bay,  and 
Prof.  Russell  reached  the  elevation  of  14  500  ft.  on  the  N.  side  of  the 
mountain,  when  driven  back  by  storms  and  scarcity  of  provisions.  He 
explored  the  plateau  of  the  Mala*pina  Glacier  from  Icy  Bay  to  Disen- 
chantment Bay  on  the  return.  Prince  Luigui  Amedeo,  of  Savoy,  three 
companions,  and  six  Italian  guides  made  a  tuccessful  ascent  'a  1897,  fol- 
lowing the  route  of  Prof.  Russell.  The  elitnb  up  from  the  Malaspina 
Glacier  was  accomplished  in  80  days,  the  de^  nt  in  1 0  days,  without  the 
least  delay  or  accident  from  start  to  finish  of  i  e  well-planned  excursion. 

The  observations  of  the  U.  S.  Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  party  in 
1892  were  for  the  purpose  of  continuing  Messrs.  Turner  and  McGrath's 
work  on  the  international  boundary  line,  and  establishing  the  longitude 
of  Mt  St.  Elias.  It  is  now  definitely  accepted  as  beyond  the  United 
States  lines,  but  as  a  natural  comer-stone  or  monument  sufficiently 
raarking  the  line  of  the  Hist  meridian,  although  overtopped  by  the 
neighbouring  Aft.  Logan  (19,639  ft.),  now  accepted  as  the  highest  peak 
on  the  North  American  continent,  unless  the  newly-discovcred  Mt 
McKinley,  far  north  of  Cook's  Inlet,  should  prove  taller.  The  peak 
of  Orizaba,  formerly  the  highest  peak  of  the  New  World,  is  reduced  to 
18,314  ft  by  latest  measurements  (1892). 

The  full  accounts  of  the  later  expeditions  to  Mt  St.  Elias  since  1867 
will  be  found  in  the  following  publications : 

FiLLiPPO  DK  FiLiPPi,  Dr.  Revitta  Mensile  del  Clvb  Alpino  liediano, 
November,  1897.  Translation,  by  Dr.  Paolo  de  Vecchi,  in  Sierra  Club 
Bulletin,  January,  1898. 

Karr,  H.  W.  Seton.  *'  Shores  and  Alps  of  Alaska."  London : 
Proceedings  of  Royal  Geog.  Soc,  London.     Vol.  IX.     1'  ^7. 

Kerr,  Mark  B.     Scribner's  Magazine,  March,  1891. 

LiBBKY,  Prof.  William,  Jr.     Bulletin  Am.  Gcog.  Soc.,  N.  Y.,  1886. 

Russell,  Prof.  Israel  C.  Century  Magazine,  April,  1891,  and 
June,  1892.  Natl.  Geog.  Soc.  Magazine,  Washington,  D.  C,  May  29, 
1891.  Am.  Journal  of  Science,  March,  1892.  Thirteenth  Annual  Re- 
port, Director  of  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey,  1892. 

TopiiAM,  H.  W.     Alpine  Journal,  London,  August,  1889. 

Williams,  William.     Scribner's  Magazine,  April,  1889. 

Wood,  C.  £.  S.    Century  Magazine,  July,  1882, 


I 


134    "TO   WES-nVARD"    FROM   SITKA   TO   UN  ALASKA. 


Continental  Alaska* 

While  the  steamer  waits  at  Y'akutat,  there  ia  in  full  view  the  mag- 
nificent line  of  the  St.  Elias  Alpa  towering  in  the  nky  above  the  low, 
green  forest  land.  Upon  leaving,  the  ship  skirts  along  tho  front  of  the 
Malaftpina  Olacier,  which  borders  the  ocean  for  more  ili;m  60  miles, 
with  the  sea  breaking  fully  on  its  ice-clilTs  in  places.  Mt.  St.  Eliati, 
Ht  Cook,  and  Mt.  Vancouver  are  easily  distinguished  by  their  great 
height.  There  is  no  break  in  the  mainland  mountain  panorama  from 
Edgecumbe  to  Makushiu,  1,250  miles,  and  in  this  respect  the  voyage 
is  unparallelled. 

The  Copper  River  region  was  believed  to  be  an  El  Dorado  by  the 
Russians,  but  their  efforts  to  explore  it  failed.  Rufus  Serrebrennikof 
and  his  men  were  murdered  before  they  had  explored  the  river's  mouth. 

General  Hiles's  first  expedition  under  Lieutenant  Abercrombie, 
U.  S.  A.,  in  1884,  failed  to  ascend  the  river  and  come  out  by  the 
Chilkat  countr}-.  A  second  expedition,  in  1886,  was  led  by  Lieutenant 
H.  T.  Allen,  U.  S.  A.,  who  ascended  the  Cop/jer,  crossed  the  divide  to 
the  Tenana.  sailed  down  that  stream  to  the  Yitlon,  and  explored  the 
Kotfukuk  River  before  returning  to  San  Francisco  via  St.  Michaels. 
His  report  (Forty-ninth  Congress,  second  session,  Senate  Executive 
Document,  No.  126)  gives  a  detailed  account  of  the  trip;  of  the 
magnificent  Miles  Glacier,  which  fronts  in  ice-clifTs  for  6  miles  on  the 
banks  of  Copper  River ;  of  IVood^a  Canon,  40  yards  wide,  with  perpen- 
dicular walls;  and  of  the  smoking  cone  of  Mt.  Wrangel,  which  he  re- 
duced from  fabled  height  to  an  actual  17,600  ft.  No  mountains  of  pure 
copper  were  found,  nor  anything  to  induce  others  to  run  the  risk  of  starva- 
tion  in  the  almost  uninhabited  country.  In  1891  Lieutenant  Schwatka 
and  Dr.  Hayes  came  out  to  the  sea  by  Copper  River,  after  their  great 
circuit  of  the  interior  from  Taku  Inlet  to  the  Yukon  and  White  rivers. 


Prince  William's  Scnsd  and  its  Great  Glaciers. 

Nachek,  or  Port  Etches,  is  at  the  entrance  of  Prince  William's 
Sound,  as  Captain  Cook  named  the  Chugach  Gulf  when  he  keeled  and 
mended  his  ships  at  Snug  Corner  Bay,  1778.  Shelikoff  came  in  1783, 
and  Baranof  built  the  ships  that  took  his  first  expedition  to  Sitka. 
The  Russian  trading-post  was  known  as  the  Redoubt  Constantine,  and 
the  furs  of  the  Copper  River  country  are  brought  to  Nuchek,  where 
there  is  a  salmon-cannery  and  trading-post.  In  1892  the  Victoria 
sealing  fleet  rendezvoused  off  Nuchek  to  meet  their  suppW  steamer 
Coquitlam,  revictual,  and  transfer  their  catch  of  Pacific  seali  as  before 
Tcnturing  into  Bering  Sea.    Captain  C.  L.  Hooper,  with  the  revenue  cut- 


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"TO   WESTWARD"    FROM    SFFKA   TO   UNALARKA.     135 

ter  Coricln,  Hurprinofl  tlioni  in  tlie  net.  nnil  tlie  Cofjuiflum,  with  iier  valu- 
able ciiif^o,  wiis  Hi'i/eii  nn<l  Uihcu  to  Sitkn  for  a  violation  of  U.  S.  revenue 
liiWH  in  tninsferring  ear^o  without  authority  of  the  customs  district, 
Orca,  near  tlie  entrance  of  the  Soun<l,  has  become  a  cunsideruble  settle- 
ment, as  landing-place  for  those  crossiiif^  Uy  ValdtH  J'am  (lU)  miles)  to  the 
Copper  Hirer  mining  regions,  and  via  the  Xanana  lUver  to  the  Yukon. 

The  ChugHch  Alps  surrounding^  Piincn  William's  Sound  hold 
some  of  the  grandest  scenery  of  tlie  Alaska  coast,  and  the  tide-water 
glaciern  in  the  recesses  of  the  sound  even  surpass  those  of  southeastern 
Alaska.  Vancouver  describes  the  gloomily  magnificent  sound,  and  Mr. 
Whidby  felt  the  groimd  shake  when  tt  miles  away  from  the  falling  ice. 
Prof.  Davidson  had  a  glimpse  of  the  Ice  falls  in  18(17,  and  Russian  offi- 
cers told  him  of  one  glacier  that  showed  a  peculiar  rose-red  tint  in  a 
certain  light.  Dr.  Dall  visited  the  sound  in  1874,  and  declared  the  gla-  , 
cial  landscapes  the  finest  of  their  kind.  Mr.  Seton  Karr  makes  reference 
to  them  in  his  "  Shores  and  Alps  of  Alaska."  The  dangers  of  navigation 
deter  large  vessels  from  attempting  cruises  in  the  unsurveyed  waters, 
and  the  floating  ice  menaces  canoes,  .so  that  the  ntmiber,  size,  movement, 
and  general  features  of  these  Chugach  ice  streams  await  exploration. 

-    Cook*8  Inlet  and  the  Kenai  Peninsula. 

Cook's  Inlet  extends  inland  160  miles  between  the  Alaska  or 
Chignik  range  and  the  mountainous  Kenai  Peninsula.  Sheltered  by  the 
great  barrier  on  the  west,  its  shores  enjoy  a  different  climate  from  any 
of  the  coast  region  south  of  it,  and  the  warm,  cloudless  summers  won 
Cook's  Inlet  the  name  of  the  Summer-land  from  the  Russians.  The 
best  agricultural  land  lies  along  the  Kenai  shore  of  the  Inlet,  and  the 
Russian  company  established  five  colonics  of  their  pensioners  in  this  gar- 
den spot,  where  they  raised  crops  and  cattle,  and  still  continue  to  do  so. 

The  Inlet  is  renowned  for  its  scenery,  which  ('a])tain  Cook  was  first 
to  extol.  He  discovered  the  great  estuary  during  his  search  for  a  pas- 
sage to  Hudson  Bay,  passing  the  south  jMiint  of  Kenai  Peninsula  on  the 
birthday  of  the  Princess  Elizabeth,  May  21, 1778.  The  mainland  point,  40 
miles  across  from  this  Vape  Elizabeth,  was  named  for  Dr.  Douglass,  Canon 
of  Windsor.  Captain  Cook  took  possession  in  the  name  of  His  Majesty, 
and  buried  coins  and  records  in  a  bottle  at  Possession  Point  at  the  head 
of  the  IiUet,  and  Vancouver  searched  for  these  records  in  vain.  Cook 
did  not  name  the  place  on  his  map,  referring  to  it  as  the  Great  River 
in  his  text.  Lord  Sandwich  wrote  in  "  Cook's  River "  after  the  great 
navigator's  death.  Cape  Elizabeth  is  650  miles  from  Sitka  and  1,670 
miles  from  Sao  Francisco, 


136    "TO  WEflTWARD"   FROM  SITKA   TO  TNALASKA. 


Coal- Fields. — Poitlock  mentioned  the  c-oal-vcinf*  In  Graham  or  Eng- 
lish Hnrhmir,  near  ('ape  Kll/alK>tli,  in  17K7,  and  the  KiiHHianH  afterward 
worked  them  on  a  eonsideraltlu  Heale,  and  exported  much  of  thid  lipiite 
to  ('uHfoiniii  previous  to  tlie  di>eoverv  of  tlie  Vantouver  eoal.  Tram- 
wavfi,  otonc  pieiti,  and  deeayiiiK  l>nildinKH  aie  memorials  to  the  im- 
mense HuniR  suuk  by  the  Russian  company  and  some  San  KranciHCo 
merchants  who  shared  in  tlie  enterprise  at  Coal  Harbour  in  Chugachik 
or  Kachetnnk  liaif.  Recently,  interest  in  these  coal-mines  has  l)een  re- 
vived, and  also  in  the  old  works  near  Fort  Kenai,  where  the  equal  of 
Nanaimo  eoal  was  iiromi.'^ed. 

Fort  Kcnai,  the  old  Redocbt  St.  Nicholas,  was  garrisoned  by 
U.  S.  troops  for  a  few  years  aftci-  the  transfer.  There  are  two  trading 
stations  and  three  canneries  in  the  Inlet,  and  king  .salmon  weighing  100 
pounds  ore  often  caught,  (iold  was  found  in  small  quantities  by  a 
Russian  engineer  in  185fi;  and  prospectors,  searching  for  ten  seasons, 
made  such  rich  discoveries  in  lS5t6  that  a  rush  of  more  than  2,000 
miners  occurred  the  following  spring. 

The  Volcanoes. — Cook's  Inlet  is  the  finest  Ahi.skan  pleasure- 
ground  for  scientists,  sportsmen,  anglers,  artists,  and  yachtsmen,  and 
its  climate  enhances  all  attrictions.  A  chain  of  active  volcanoes  ex- 
tends along  the  W.  shore.  Iliamna,  the  great  volcano  of  the  Inlet 
(12,066  ft.),  was  named  Miranda,  the  Admirable,  by  the  Spanish  navi- 
gators. It  is  snow-dad,  but  steam  and  smoke  issue  from  two  cratere 
near  the  summit,  and  when  arrested  for  any  time  frequent  earthquakes 
are  felt.  Iliamna  was  ascended  by  a  party  sent  from  the  Imperial  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  at  St  Petersburg  in  1 862,  and  by  several  parties  of 
U.  S.  officers  w  hile  the  garri.son  was  maintained  at  Fort  Kenai,  40  miles 
distant  across  the  Inlet.  There  was  an  eruption  in  1854,  and  in  1869 
climbers  found  running  lava  near  the  lower  crater,  a  vast  oval  bowl 
full  of  sulphur  crystals,  and  were  driven  from  the  upper  crater  by  the 
volumes  of  dense  black  smoke.  Many  hot  springs  occur  on  the  slopes, 
and  the  heat  furnishes  a  luxuriant  growth  of  trees  in  the  valleys  and 
ravines.     The  natives  have  many  superstitions  concerning  it. 

Goryalya,  or  the  Redoubt  (11,270  ft.),  stands  N.  of  Iliamna, 
and  smokes  and  steams  on  a  lesser  scale.  It  was  in  eruption  in  1867, 
and  ashes  fell  to  a  depth  of  one  inch  and  a  half  on  Kadiak  island,  166 
miles  away. 

Aagnstin,  on  an  island  near  the  mouth  of  the  Inlet,  is  a  tym- 
metrical  cone  whose  fires 'are  extinct. 

A  trail  leads  from  the  native  viliage  in  Kamishak  Bay,  S.  of  Ili- 
amna, for  7  mileft  through  a  gap  in  the  mountains  to  a  chain  of  lakes 


TO  WESTWARD"    FROM   SITKA  TO  UNALA8KA.     137 


discharging  at  the  end  of  16  miles  into  Iliamna,  the  largest  lake  in 
Alanka.  Ilinmna  Lake,  90  miles  long  and  from  30  to  40  miles 
wide,  is  an  inland  rettervoir  or  hatchery  of  king  salmon,  who  use  the 
Kvichak  River  as  their  hi;;hwuy  to  Bering  Sea.  This  chain  of  water- 
courseri  and  the  short  portitf^c  arc  UHed  by  hunters  who  come  over  from 
Bristol  Bay  to  the  sea-otter  rooketlcs  along  the  Cook  Inlet  and  Shell- 
koff  sliores. 

Either  shore  offers  unlimited  opportunities  to  sportsmen.  The 
only  herds  of  wild  reindeer  remaining  in  Alaska  are  in  the  regions 
along  the  Alaskan  and  Kenai  ranges.  The  big  brown  bear  of  Cook's 
lulet  lias  world-wide  fume,  and  these  monsters  are  the  great  prizes  of 
native  hunters.  Moose,  caribou,  mountain-goat,  mounfAin-sheep,  and 
deer  are  found.  There  arc  many  trout  streams  besides  the  salmon  rivers 
on  the  E.  shore,  and  wild  fowl  haunt  the  marshes  in  that  same  region. 

The  finest  waterfalls  in  Alaska  leap  from  the  clifPs  along  the  Inlet, 
and  the  alternation  of  snow-pcuks,  volouiioes.  forested  slopes,  and  fer- 
tile prairies  continually  ciiarm  the  eye.  There  are  glaciers  in  the 
mountains  on  cither  shore  of  the  Inlet.  Those  facing  the  Kachemak 
Bay  coalmines  were  explored  and  named  l)y  the  Russian  scientists  in 
1862,  and  their  map  showing  tlie  Grew'mgk,  the  Wos^iesaeniki,  the 
LoroMn,  and  the  Siid  glaciers  is  included  in  the  Gletacher-Karte, 
of  Berghaus's  Physikal  Atlas. 

TIDES. 

The  Inlet  is  swept  by  tremendous  tides,  and  there  are  strong  tide 
rips  at  the  entrance  and  at  the  Forthtmh  beyond  Fort  Kenai.  In 
Turnugiun  Ann,  or  Resurrection  Bay,  tliere  is  u  tide  fall  of  20  and  27 
ft.,  and  the  tide  enters  in  a  liuire  bore  or  wave.  Expert  canoemen 
take  advantage  of  and  ride  the  bore  safely,  and  are  swept  rapidly  on 
their  way  by  its  aid. 

The  natives,  the  Cliugachs,  like  the  inhabitants  of  Prince  William 
Sound,  are  Indians  of  Athal)ascan  stock.  They  are  not  a  canoe  peo- 
ple, and  differ  as  much  from  the  Tlingits  on  one  side  as  from  the  Es- 
quimaux on  the  other. 

Kadiak  and  the  Great  Salmon  Canneries. 

The  dense  forests  of  the  Northwest  Coast  finally  cease  at  the  line 

of  the  Kenai  Peninsv.la,  and  tiiere  are  but  scattered  groves  on  the 

Kadiak  Islands.     Beyond  that  line  the  shores  are  covered  with  grasses, 

shrubs,  and  thick  mosses,  that,  freshened  by  perpetual  fog  and  rain,  are 

so  brilliantly  and  intensely  green  as  to  dazzle  the  eye.     The  dug-out 

canoe  disappears  at  this  forest  edge,  and  boats  of  sea-lion  or  walrus 
10 


138    "TO   WESTWARD"   FROM   SITKA  TO   UNALA8KA. 

hide  stretched  over  driftwood  framett  replace  them.  The  bidarka,  « 
narrow  shell  pointed  at  either  end,  carricH  one  or  two  men,  who  nit 
each  in  a  smuil  hatch  furnished  with  an  apron  that  foHtens  around  his 
body,  and  these  biaddere  ride  the  roughest  seas  safely.  Women  and 
children  are  even  packed  beneath  the  oarHnien's  feet  for  short  voyages. 
Lutke  called  these  bidarkann  the  "  (Jossacks  uf  the  sea,"  and  Hillings 
wrote,  "  If  perfect  symmetry,  smoothness,  and  pro|)ortion  constitute 
beauty,  they  are  beautiful  beyond  anything  that  lever  beheld."  They 
have  also  the  oowiak;  or  large  open  walrus-hide  l)oat,  as  a  family  and 
trading  canoe,  and  these  two  craft,  with  slight  modifii  i.'  a  ,  are  in  use 
from  Kadiak  around  to  tlie  arctic  coast. 

In  1850  three  Ru^<sian  sailors  deserted  from  Kadiak  and  reached 
Shoalwater  Bay,  Wash.,  in  bidarkus.  In  1884  two  Danes  went  from 
Kadiak  to  San  Francisco  in  a  bidarka  19  U.  long,  making  the  l,AOO 
mile.)  to  Victoria  in  100  days'  paddling,  with  frequent  canips  at  night 
along  the  coast.  In  1892,  a  I'i-ton  schooner  was  blown  ufT  Karluk  in 
a  storm,  and  the  one  man  navigated  the  2,0i)0  miles  to  San  Francisco  in 
20  days,  a  feat  which  matclies  the  bidarkans'  record. 

i.isiansky  was  told  that  the  Kadiak  Islands  were  once  separated  by 
only  the  narrowest  pass  from  the  peninsula's  shore.  A  huge  Kenai 
otter  attempted  to  swim  through  and  was  caught  fast.  Its  struggles 
widened  the  Shclikoff  Strait,  and  pushed  Kadiak  out  to  its  present  pos- 
session. By  tradition,  the  original  inhabitants  were  descended  from  a 
dog.  There  is  one  legend  of  a  man  and  a  dog  being  set  adrift  on  a 
stone  that  finally  turned  to  an  island.  Another  tells  that  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  great  chief  living  north  of  "  the  peninsula  of  Alaxa  "  was  ban- 
ished in  wrath  with  her  dog  husband  and  whelps.  The  dog  tried  to 
swim  back  but  was  drowned,  and  the  pups  fell  upon  their  grandfather, 
tore  him  to  pieces,  and  ruled  in  his  stead.  Lisiansky  found  the  Ka- 
diakers  in  the  lowest  stages,  sitting  on  the  roofs  of  their  sod  huts  or 
on  the  beach,  like  herds  of  animals,  gazing  at  the  sea  in  stupid  silence. 
The  want  of  oral  intercourse  proved  their  estate,  but  the  courteous  ex- 
plorer said  that  ''  their  ^implieity  of  character  exceeds  that  of  all  other 
people."  He  built  ice  hills  for  the  Christmas  of  1804,  the  Aleuts  and 
Kadiakers  went  crazy  over  toboganning,  and  the  natives  came  from  the 
farthest  points  to  watch. 

Afo^ak,  the  nor..hem  island  of  the  group,  was  declared  a  Fish  and 
^mber  Culture  Reserve,  by  Executive  proclamation  of  Dec.  24,  1 892. 

The  steamer  calls  on  both  E.  and  W.  trips  at  the  headquarters  of 
the  N.  A.  G.  Co.  for  the  Kadiak  region  on  Wood  Island  near  St.  Paul. 
The  furs  of  Copper  River  and  the  Kenai  region  reach  those  warehouses. 
There  are  large  ice-houses  on  the  island,  whence  cargoes  were  shipped 
to  San  Francisco  previo'v  a  i^e  perfecting  of  the  ice-machine.    The 


"TO   WESTWARD"    FRoM  SITKA  TO   UNALA8KA.     139 

owners  of  the  latter  paid  the  Kadiak  compuny  a  HiibHldy  to  witlulruw 
from  competition,  but  ice  was  regularly  Htored  year  after  year,  and  ttte 
agent  ruled  patriarchally  over  a  model  village,  virtually  Hurruunded  by 
a  park  and  pime  i<reAerve. 

Mt.  Paul  vt>  'Illation,  4UR),  on  the  N.  E.  Hhore  nf  Kndiak  Inland, 
was  the  first  heu  \  .art-rs  of  ShelikofTs  and  Uaranof'n  fur-trade,  and, 
as  their  early  c  ipital  and  older  home,  was  the  bouHt  of  the  KuHHians  in 
Sitka's  bci  >r  duv  h  is  tho  hendquarterK  of  the  A.  C.  Co.  in  this 
re^^ion,  aiid  furs  to  the  value  of  i^H0O,0O(»  are  shipped  yearly.  Th'jre 
was  a  garrison  of  U.  8.  trwps  here  for  a  few  years  after  the  transfer. 

The  fireatett  Salmon  Stream  in  the  World. 

Karlnk  is  another  important  port  of  call  on  both  tri])H  of  the  mail 
steamer.  Two  thirds  of  the  et-'ire  salmon  pack  of  Alaska  are  furnished 
by  the  ten  canneries  on  the  Kudiak  Islands,  which  are  almost  entirely 
supplied  from  the  Karlnk  River.  This  stream,  on  the  W.  coast  of 
Kadiak,  is  16  mi)es  long,  from  lOO  to  600  ft.  nide,  and  less  than  (i  ft. 
deep.  These  figures  ^'ive  the  dimensions  of  the  solid  mass  of  salmon 
that  used  to  ascend  the  Karlnk  to  a  mountain  lake  before  canners  came 
with  traps  and  gill-nets  in  1884.  The  largest  cannery  in  the  world  is 
at  Karluk.  There  were  1,100  employes  altogether  at  the  Karluk  can- 
neries in  1890,  and  over  200,0()Ci  cases  of  48  one-pound  tins  contained 
the  3,000,000  salmon  packed.  A  single  haul  of  the  seine  has  beached 
1 7,000  salmon,  yet  each  ebb  tide  then  left  thousands  of  stranded  fish  to 
die  on  the  banks  and  bars.  The  canners  enjoy  their  monopoly  without 
tax,  license,  or  any  Government  interference.  The  nearest  civil  oflicial 
is  the  U.  S.  Commissioner  at  Unalaska,  700  miles  away,  or  the  customs 
deputy  at  Sand  Point.  Stores,  employes,  and  pack  are  conveyed  to  and 
from  San  Francisco  in  the  canners'  own  vessels,  and  the  hundreds  of 
Chinese,  Greek,  Italian,  Portuguese,  and  Americans  constitute  the  most 
untrammelled  communities  anywhere  under  one  flag  from  May  to  Sep- 
tember of  each  year.  There  is  much  agricultural  land  on  these  islands 
and  cattle  graze  the  year  round,  the  thermometer  never  recording  zero, 
and  snow  lying  on  the  ground  but  for  a  short  time. 

The  Shamagin  Islands  and  the  Cod  Fisheries. 

Bering  landed  on  this  group  in  1741  to  bury  Shumagin,  one  of  his 
crew ;  and  Steller,  the  naturalist,  who  accompanied  that  expedition  and 
first  classified  the  Pacific  fishes,  mentions  the  cod.    Captain  Cook  and 


140     "TO  WESTWAED"    FROM   SITKA   TO   UNALA8KA. 

Other  navigators  referred  to  the  cod ;  and  Senator  Sumner  laid  great 
stress  on  the  value  of  these  cod  banks  in  his  farewell  speech,  thereby 
causing  several  New  England  cod-fisliing  communities  to  protest  against 
the  purchase  of  Alaska.  Prof.  Davidson  reported  the  Shumagin  cod 
banks — since  named  the  Davidson  Banks — in  1867,  and  twenty  years 
later  the  Fish  Commission  steamer  Albatross  began  its  work  of  sounding 
and  mapping  the  banks  on  either  side  of  the  Aleutian  Islands.  Over 
10,000  square  miles  of  cod  banks  were  irveyed  in  three  years.  Popoff 
Island,  opposite  Unga,  is  the  headquarters  of  the  cod-fishing  fleet,  and 
there  are  large  warehouses  at  HumboUU  Harbour  and  Pirate  Cove  for 
salting  and  storing  fish.  The  industry  is  conducted  by  San  Francisco 
fish-dealers,  and  the  cod  are  taken  there  to  be  cured.  The  dry  California 
climate  is  said  to  be  the  reason  for  that  process  not  resulting  as  satis- 
factorily as  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  A  colony  of  Gloucester  fishermen 
rounded  the  Horn  after  the  troubles  on  the  Great  Banks  in  the  Atlantic, 
and  many  others  have  followed,  but  the  immediate  profits  of  sealing  over- 
shadow cod-fishing  for  the  time  being.  The  extinction  of  the  fur  seal 
will  give  the  cod-fisheries  a  greater  following  and  importance;  men 
will  depend  upon  more  certain  wages  and  employment,  and  cod  will  in- 
crease in  numbers,  as  each  seal  is  said  to  consume  in  one  summer  cod 
equalling  in  value  the  price  of  a  raw  sealskin.  The  pack  of  Shumagin 
cod  for  1890  was  valued  at  $500,000,  and  for  all  the  seasons  from  1867 
to  1890  at  a  total  of  more  than  $3,000,000, 

A  coalmine  on  Unga  Island  furnishes  fuel  for  local  consumption 
here  and  around  Kadiak,  and  the  Apollo  Gold  Mine,  on  the  same 
island,  has  "been  a  paying  concern  from  the  start.  The  outer  shores  of 
the  Sbuinagius  are  haunts  of  the  sea-otter. 


The  Aliaska  Peninsula. 

From  Cook's  Inlet  to  the  beginning  of  the  Aleutian  chnin  the  E. 
shore  of  the  Aliaska  Peninsula  is  a  precipitous  mountain  range  rising 
abruptly  from  the  sea.  These  dangerous  shores  are  haunts  f  the  sea- 
otter,  and  in  several  places  salmon  streams  connect  with  moun'utin  lakes. 
There  are  canneries  and  trading  stations  at  Chignik  Bay,  Wrarigell, 
Portage,  and  Pavioif  Bays.  A  railway  13  miles  in  length  connects 
Portage  Bay  with  llercndcen  Bay  and  the  Bering  Sea  shore,  and  brings 
coal  from  the  mines  owned  by  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  to  ship- 
ping wharves.  This  is  regarded  as  the  most  v/uable  coal  deposit  in 
Bouthem  Alaska. 


THE   ALEUTIAN   ISLANDS. 


141 


Belkofsky,  at  the  foot  of  the  volcano  Mt.  Pavloff,  is  the  centre  of 
the  sea-otter  trade.  The  village  of  186  people  maintains  a  handsome 
Greek  church,  and  there  is  a  Government  school. 

A  century  ago  sea-otters  were  plentiful  along  all  the  Alaskan  coasts, 
but  persi.stent  hunting  has  nearly  exterminated  them,  and  they  now 
take  refuge  on  the  stormiest  and  most  dangerous  shores,  and  live  in  beds 
of  floating  kelp.  The  hunters  lie  in  hiding  on  the  rocks  for  days  in 
order  to  creep  upon  or  surround  their  game,  or  they  may  happen  upon 
an  otter  while  it  sleeps  floating  on  the  water.  Only  natives  were  allowed 
to  hunt  otter,  and  firc-fms  were  thus  prohibited  on  the  otter-grounds 
until  1878,  when  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  allowed  white  men  mar- 
ried to  native  women  to  be  considered  natives  in  regard  to  the  privileges 
of  hunting,  which  "  put  otters  at  a  discount  and  women  at  a  premium." 
The  native  spear  and  arrow  are  no  longer  used.  Steamers  and  schoon- 
ers cany  contract  hunters  to  the  best  otter-grounds,  where  they  camp 
until  called  for  by  those  vessels.  All  the  tide-water  shores  from 
Prince  William's  Sound  to  the  Aleutian  Islands  are  otter-grounds,  and 
the  peninsula  coast  near  Helkofsky,  the  outer  Shumagins,  and  the 
Sannakh  Islands  are  the  richest  grounds.  Otter-skins  have  increased 
enormously  in  value,  and  a  single  one  of  these  purplish-brown  pelts 
sprinkled  with  delicate  silver-tipped  hairs  is  worth  from  §150  to  $300. 
It  is  the  court  fur  of  Russia  and  China,  and  at  one  time  laws  prevented 
commoners  from  wearing  it. 


The  Aleutian  Islands. 

The  seventy  islands  of  the  Aleutian  chain  lie  like  natural  stepping- 
stone.'  from  the  point  of  the  Aliaska  Peninsula  for  1,000  miles  toward 
the  Kamchatka  shore,  and  Attu,  the  last  in  line,  lies  beyond  the  one 
hundred  and  eightieth  meridian  and  within  the  Eastern  hemisphere. 
They  are  of  volcanic  origin,  and  many  cratere  still  smoke  along  the 
chain.  Only  one  island,  Utialaska,  contains  a  white  settlement ;  and 
only  one  island,  AmchUka,  is  seen  from  any  established  route  of  com- 
merce. The  Canadian  Pacific  steamships  often  sight  the  low,  green 
shores  or  see  the  reflected  glow  of  the  volcano  on  Amchitka  on  their 
course  from  Vancouver  to  Yokohama.  They  are  natural  stations  for 
the  proposed  trans-Pacific  cable  route  from  British  Columbia  to  the 
terminus  of  the  Siberian  Great  Northern  telegraph  liiles. 

The  islands  are  treelens,  but  covered  with  grass  and  mossp",  and  in 
Buramer  with  a  wealth  of  wild  flowers.  They  are  capable  of  cultivation, 
and  afford  excellent  pasturage.  The  temperature  varies  little  from  Sit- 
ka's averages,  and  fog  and  rain  are  almost  constant  during  the  summer. 
"  The  wolf's  long  howl "  is  not  heard,  but  several  islands  are  blue  fox 
ranches,  and  great  care  is  taken  to  increase  and  improve  the  quality  of 


THE   ALEUTIAN   I8LAND8. 


l)€lts  from  such  preserves.  Over  two  hundred  blue  fox  skins  are 
shipped  from  Attu  each  season.  Cod  baniis  border  the  islands,  and 
salmon  and  herring  swarm,  yet  through  improvidence  the  natives  of 
some  remote  villages  barely  manage  to  exist  through  the  winters. 

The  Aleuts  numbered  but  900  altogether  in  1890.  They  are  now  of 
mixed  Russian  descent,  but  the  original  Aleuts  were  a  gentle,  intelligent 
people  when  impressed  by  the  first  fur-traders,  and  in  their  speech  and 
customs  showed  resemblance  to  the  Ainos  of  northern  Japan.  Baranof 
literally  enslaved  them,  took  1,000  Aleut  hunters  with  their  bidarkas 
to  Sitka  in  1804,  and  often  leased  them  under  contract  to  British  and 
American  traders  for  otter-hunting  on  the  lower  coast.  Their  damp, 
half  inderground  houses  and  the  native  qvass  have  been  sufficient  rea- 
son lor  their  rapid  decline  in  numbers.  Despite  the  introduction  of 
foreign  liquors,  only  one  murder  was  committed  by  Aleuts  in  fifty  years. 
They  are  quick  to  improve  educational  advantages,  and  Aleut  women 
of  the  better  class  possess  many  accomplishments.  The  older  women 
weave  exquisitely  fine  baskets,  cigar-cases,  etc.,  from  the  dried  gi-asses 
and  fibres,  but  the  supply  of  this  work  diminishes  each  year. 

Unimak  Island,  the  first  of  the  Aleutians,  contains  two  volcanoes, 
Shishaldin  (8,953  ft.),  and  Poffrotnnaia,  or  Destruction  (6,625  ft). 
Shishaldin  is  the  most  .synniietrical  and  perfect  cone  along  the  whole 
"  Pacific  Ring  of  Fire,"  tapering  evenly  from  sea-level  to  the  sharpest 
point,  from  which  a  smoke  peimant  always  floats.  The  sea  beats  at  its 
base,  and  the  snowy  cone  retains  its  wliite  covering  to  within  2,000 
ft.  of  the  surf  the  year  round.  It  was  in  eruption  in  1826,  and  in 
1827  opened  a  new  crater  and  rained  ashes  far  and  wide.  The  perpet- 
ual mist  and  vapour  in  the  atmosphere  defeat  photographers'  efforts  to 
secure  sharp  negatives  from  a  moving  ship. 

Unimak  J'ass  and  Akutan  Pass  are  the  usual  ships'  entrances  to 
Bering  Sea.  Between  the  two  lies  the  island  holding  the  volcanic  peak 
of  Akiitan,  3,988  ft.  in  height. 

Uualaska,  the  most  important  island  of  the  Aleutian  chain,  is 
mountainous  throughout,  with  the  volcanic  mass  of  Makushin,  6,961 
feet,  at  its  northwest  end. 

Dutch  Harbour,  on  the  north  shore,  fronting  Akutan  Pass,  is  the 
headquarters  of  the  North  American  Commercial  Co.,  and  tourists  by 
their  niiiil  steamer  from  Sitka  wait  here  while  the  vessel  refits  for  the 
return  cruise. 

Captain  Cook  twice  repaired  his  ships  at  this  harbour  in  1778,  and 
here  mot  Ismyh)fr,  conujiandcr  of  tlic  Russian  factory  on  the  other  side 
of  the  island.  He  gave  tlie  great  navigator  much  information  as  to 
local  names,  widch  the  latter  received  with  caution.  Here  Cook  wrote: 
"  They  (the  Aleuts)  call  it  by  the  same  name  Mr.  Staehlin  gives  to  his 


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THE   ALEUTIAN    ISLANDS. 


143 


great  island,  that  is  Alaschka.  Stachtan  Nitada,  as  it  is  called  on  the 
modern  maps,  is  a  name  quite  unltnown  to  these  people,  natives  of  the 
islands,  as  well  as  Russians,  but  both  of  them  know  it  by  the  name  of 
America."  Then  later  Cook  wrote :  "  I  have  already  observed  that  the 
American  continent  is  here  called  by  the  Russians  as  well  as  by  the 
islanders  Alaschka,  which  name,  though  it  properly  belongs  only  to  the 
country  adjoining  Unimak,  is  used  by  them  when  speaking  of  the 
American  continent  in  general,  which  they  know  perfectly  well  to  be  a 
great  land." 

Ilinlink,  "  the  curving  beach,"  more  commonly  known  as  Una- 
laska,  population  317,  one  mile  below  Dutch  Harbour,  is  port  of  entry 
for  all  ships  passing  in  or  out  of  Bering  Sea  and  the  metropolis  of  all 
the  region  "  to  westward."  The  U.  S.  commissioner  and  deputy-col- 
lector reside  here.  The  Greek  church  is  second  in  size  and  importance 
to  the  cathedral  at  Sitka,  and  the  bishop  for  a  time  resided  here.  Be- 
sides the  Russian  parish  school,  there  are  a  Government  day-school  and  a 
Methodist  mission.  It  is  headquarters  for  the  Alaska  Commercial  Co., 
which  occupies  the  old  fort  of  the  Russian  Company.  The  ships  of  the 
Pacific  arctic  whaling  fleet  call  here  for  water,  coal,  supplies,  and  mail, 
transship  cargo,  leave  and  receive  news  of  the  ice  line,  the  position,  and 
catch  of  each  whaler.  In  1891,  1892,  and  1893,  during  the  modus  Vi- 
vendi, it  was  headquarters  of  the  United  States  and  British  fleets  en- 
gaged in  the  Bering  Sea  patrol,  and  lines  of  captured  sealers  often 
waited  at  anchor. 

There  is  direct  communication  with  Sitka,  1,250  miles,  by  monthly 
mail  steamer,  from  April  to  October,  and  frequent  communication  with 
San  Francisco,  2,100  miles,  by  traders'  supply  steamers,  which  take  pas- 
sengers under  certain  conditions. 

Excursions  from  Unalaska. 

Mrs.  Shepard's  "  Cruise  of  the  Rush  "  shows  how  agreeably  time  may 
be  passed  on  this  northern  isle,  and  suggests  minor  excursions  to  the 
miniature  forest,  the  waterfall,  and  the  cave  near  Dutch  Harbour.  The 
wealth  of  wild  flowers  carpeting  all  the  hillsides  is  the  delight  of  every 
visitor,  and  none  weary  of  the  beautiful  harbour  and  the  landscape 
wealth  around.  Those  travelling  by  the  Sitka  steamer  will  find  them- 
selves the  guests  of  the  N.  A.  C.  Co.  at  their  Dutch  Harbour  establish- 
ment, and  every  arrangement  is  made  for  those  wishing  to  hunt,  fish, 
botanize,  or  climb. 

BogosioT  volcano,  with  its  sen-lion  rookeries,  is  the  great  point  of 
attraction,  and  a  day's  excursion  to  this  island  of  St.  John  the  Theo- 


144 


THE  BERING  SEA  AND  SHORES. 


logian  is  included  in  the  tour  from  Sitka  by  the  N.  A.  C.  Co.'s  vessel. 
It  lies  in  Bering  Sea  some  40  miles  W.  of  Unalaska  harbour,  and  rose 
from  the  waters  in  1796  after  a  day  of  rumbling,  thunder,  and  violent 
explosions,  accompanied  by  much  sulphurous  gas  and  dense  smoke. 
The  rocky  mass  grew  after  a  similar  demonstration  in  1806.  It  con- 
tinued to  grow  for  a  quarter  century,  often  showing  a  light  at  night  and 
darkening  the  sun  with  its  smoke  by  day.  There  were  di5.turbance8  in 
1883,  the  year  of  Krakatoa's  great  eruption,  and  showers  of  fine  ashes 
fell  from  concealing  clouds  that  finally  lifted  and  disclosed  a  second 
peak  joined  to  the  first  by  a  sandy  isthmus.  Ship  Rock,  86  ft.  high, 
stood  on  the  isthmus.  The  earthquakes  of  1889-90  left  only  a  thread 
of  this  isthmus,  and  in  1891  it  had  sunk  beyond  soundings.  Ship  Rock 
had  wholly  disappeared,  and  a  new  peak  was  in  action.  The  upper  pails 
of  these  peaks  have  been  too  hot  for  one  to  climb,  and  the  inten.se  heat 
and  steam  are  rotting  away  the  rocks,  that  drop  continually.  Sea-lions 
Bwarm  on  the  rocks  and  ledges  along  shore,  and  myriads  of  birds  have 
their  nests  on  the  warm  rocks.  A  landing  is  usually  made  and  oppor- 
tunity given  for  all  to  gather  specimens  and  sou  venire  of  the  visit,  cook 
eggs  over  the  steam-jets,  and  put  the  volcano  to  other  practical  uses. 

Opportunity  sometimes  offers  for  a  circuit  of  the  island  by  sea,  and 
is  an  excursion  much  enjoyed.  Makushiii  Harbour,  on  the  W.  coa.st, 
where  Glottov  and  his  Russians  first  landed  in  1767,  is  some  30  miles 
from  Unalaska.  The  great  mountain  is  easily  climbed  from  that  side. 
Prof.  Blake,  Lieutenant  Hodgson,  and  Dn.  Kellogg,  of  Piof.  Davidson's 
expedition,  climbed  Mukushin,  6,961  ft.,  Septemlior,  1867,  and  found 
"  a  crater  2,000  ft.  broad  by  estimate,  and  filled  with  snow,  in  the  north- 
western portion  of  which  was  an  orifice  giving  vent  to  clouds  of  smoke 
and  sulphurous  fumes." 

The  voli-ano  of  Vxevidof,  8,000  ft.,  on  Unimak  Island,  S.  W.  of  Una- 
laska, attracts  attention.  Borka,  on  the  little  island  of  the  same  name 
at  the  N.  E.  end  of  Unalaska  Island,  is  an  Aleut  village  of  as  extraordi- 
nary neatness  and  cleanliness  as  the  show  villages  of  IloUaud. 

The  Bering  Sea  and  Shores. 

The  Nushegak  and  Knskokvim  Rivers. 

Bering  Sea  was  described  by  Prof.  Davidson  as  "  a  niighfy  reser- 
voir of  cod,"  and  a  large  cod  bank  extends  all  alcng  the  W.  side  of  the 
great  peninsula.  The  Nusliegak  River  reaches  the  sea  at  Briittol  Bay, 
on  whose  shores  are  four  large  salmon  cnnnciies,  and  the  king  ?a!mon 
of  the  Kvichak  and  Nushegak  average  from  40  to  60  pounds'  weight. 
On  this  side  of  the  peninsula  all  the  coast  people  aie  Innuits  or  Esqui- 


THE  BERING  SEA  AND  SHORES. 


145 


maux  {ces  qui  miauz),  differing  entirely  from  Aleut,  Tllngit,  and  the 
Tinneh  or  Athabascan  tribes  of  the  interior.  They  live  in  under- 
ground huts,  wear  the  loose  parka  or  hooded  smock,  and  skin  boots, 
and  use  dogs  as  draught  animals.  The  Russians  made  few  attempts 
and  had  no  success  in  civilizing  or  Christianizing  them.  There  is  now 
a  Moravian  mission  at  C  irmcl  on  the  Nushegak,  and  one  at  Befhcl  on 
the  Kuskokvim,  with  Government  contract  schools  at  both  places. 

Kiiakokvhn  Bay  is  the  Fundy  of  this  coast,  the  tide  rising  60  and 
fiO  ft.,  and  rushing  in  in  a  great  bore  or  wave.  The  Kuskokvim  is  the 
second  great  river  of  the  Territory,  and  navigable  for  900  miles  from 
its  mouth.  Well-populated  Esquimaux  villages  line  its  banks,  and  the 
natives  have  an  abundant  food  supply  in  the  salmon,  white-6sh,  seals, 
and  beluga,  or  white  whale.  Prospectors  have  found  gold  on  all  these 
V/estern  rivers,  and  the  fur-trade  is  considerable,  the  Kuskokvim 
country  furnishing  the  finest  black  bear  skins  in  Alaska.  Moravian 
missions  have  been  established  on  this  river. 


The  Pribylov  or  Seal  Islands. 

These  four  volcanic  islands  lie  220  miles  N.  W.  of  Unalaska,  veiled 
in  perpetual  mists  and  fogs  of  the  summer  season,  and  ringed  round 
with  drift  ice  in  the  winter.  They  are  treeless,  covered  with  moss  and 
grass,  and  brilliant  wild  flowers  in  their  season.  The  odours  of  the 
rookeries,  where  hundreds  of  thousan<Is  of  seals  gather  annually,  and 
of  the  slaughter-grounds,  where  millions  of  seals  have  been  killed  for  a 
century,  are  perceived  far  at  sea,  and,  with  the  barking  of  the  animals, 
are  often  the  mariner's  only  guide  in  those  dense  and  protracted  fogs. 
Only  Government  vessels  are  allowed  to  approach  or  enter  the  har- 
bours. 

St.  Paul,  the  larger  island,  is  12  miles  long  and  from  6  to  8  miles 
wide,  and  its  village  is  the  hea(l(|uarters  of  the  N.  A.  C.  Co.,  leasing  the 
seal  fisheries.  St.  George,  30  miles  N.,  is  a  little  smaller,  and  between 
them  lie  the  tiny  Otter  and  Walius  Islands.  The  400  Aleuts  inhabit- 
ing the  islands  are  gathered  in  tidy  villages,  with  Greek  churches  and 
school-houses.  The  islands  are  a  Government  reserve,  and  are  leased 
for  terms  of  twenty  years  by  the  U.  S.  Treasury  Department.  For 
over  a  century  they  have  yielded  more  wealth  than  any  gold-mine,  but 
with  the  settlement  of  the  Northwest  Coast  their  prosperity  has  dimin- 
ished, and  the  seals  wili  be  exterminated  as  ruthlessly  as  those  of  the 
antarctic, 


146 


THE  BERING   SEA   AND  SHORES. 


For  forty  years  Siberian  traders  hunted  fur  the  fabled  island  of 
Amik,  where  they  believed  the  "  sea  bears  "  lived.  In  1786  Gera^sina 
Pribyiov  heard  tlie  bariiing  througli  the  fog  and  found  the  fur-8eals' 
Bummer  home.  Two  million  seals  were  killel  within  a  year,  and  the 
reckless  slaughter  so  nearly  e.xterminated  tlie  herds  that  Kesanof  or- 
dered killing  stopped  for  live  years,  when  the  rookeries  regained  their 
numbers.  Baranof  used  tlic  Piibyiovs  as  a  bank.  The  senlskin,  then 
valued  at  $1  Mexican,  was  the  unit  of  currency,  and  regularly  taken  in 
payment  for  any  commodity  by  American  traders,  who  exchanged  them 
at  Canton  for  silk  and  tea.  In  1835  the  islands  were  ringed  with  ice 
into  midsummer,  the  seals  could  not  land,  and  the  pups  born  in  the 
surf  died  with  their  mothers.  The  herd  was  again  nearly  extinct,  and 
Baron  Wrangell  stopped  the  killing  uniil  the  rookeries  had  regained 
their  numbers.  Sir  George  Simpson  (1844)  found  the  company  taking 
200.000  and  300,000  skins  annually,  and  the  market  so  overstocked 
that  the  skins  did  not  pay  for  carrying.  In  similar  situations  before  as 
many  as  700,000  and  l,000,00i  skins  were  thrown  into  the  sea  to  keep 
prices  up,  and  in  Baranof's  tiiae  improperly  cured  skins  were  thrown 
away  in  as  great  numbers. 

THE  SEAL  ISLAND  LEASES. 

The  value  and  importance  of  these  islands  were  not  appreciated  at 
the  time  of  the  transfer.  No  protection  was  afforded  in  1868,  and 
seven  concerns  enjoyed  free  sealing  that  season.  In  1869  they  were 
declared  a  Government  reserve  and  guarded  by  soldiers,  and  in  1870 
the  islands  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  George  and  the  seal-fisheries  were  leased 
for  twenty  years  to  the  Alaska  (-ommercial  Co.,  of  San  Francisco, 
which  had  previously  bought  all  the  buildings  and  the  good-will  of 
the  Russian  American  Fur  Co.  throughout  Alaska.  They  were  per- 
mitted to  kill  100,000  seals  each  year,  80.000  on  St.  Paul  and  20,000 
on  St.  George,  for  an  annual  rental  of  $65,000,  a  tax  of  $2.62^  on 
each  skin,  and  55  cents  on  each  gallon  of  seal-oil.  The  lessees  fur- 
nished fuel  and  certain  rations  to  the  Aleuts,  provided  schools  and  med- 
ical care,  and  paid  them  40  cents  for  each  skin  taken.  A  special  Treas- 
ury agent  resided  on  the  islands  each  season  to  protect  Government 
interests,  and  guards  prevented  any  killing  on  Walrus  or  Otter  Islets. 
At  the  expiration  of  their  lease  the  A.  C.  Co.  had  paid  f  6,966,666.67 
to  the  Treasury,  or  4  per  cent  interest  on  the  sum  paid  for  all  Alaska. 

The  A.  C.  Co.  was  believed  to  have  divided  from  #900,000  to  $1,- 
000,000  profits  each  year  between  19.  original  stockholders.  Holding 
also  the  lease  of  the  Comandorski  Islands  from  Russia,  they  controlled 
the  sealskin  su^  ;)ly  of  the  world ;  and  having  86  other  trading  stations 
in  Alaska,  they  monopolized  land  furs  as  well.  Salmon  canneries  and 
coal-mines  added  to  the  profits  of  this  most  remarkable  commercial 
company,  whose  preserves  were  not  invaded  nor  monopoly  threatened 
i.ntii  toward  the  end  of  the  Pribyiov  lease.  By  their  management 
salted  sealskins  rose  In  value  from  $2.50  to  $3  in  1868,  to  $10  and 
$18  in  1884,  and  to  $30  in  If  dO. 

In  1890  a  twenty-year  lease  was  awarded  to  the  North  American 


THE  BERINO   SEA  AND  SHORES. 


147 


Commercial  Co.,  of  San  Francisco,  for  an  annual  rental  of  |100,00(>,  a 
tax  of  19.62  on  each  of  100,000  skins  taken,  the  islands  then  to  return 
over  a  million  a  year  to  the  Government,  or  14  per  cent  on  Secre- 
tary Seward's  investment.  Polapic  sciilinf!  nnd  rookery  raidinj?  by  the 
Victoria  Heet  iiiid  so  dliniriished  the  herd  tliat  the  lessees  wore  only 
permitted  to  tiike  20,()0n  skins  the  liist  seiisoii,  fM\  lor  three  seasons 
while  the  seal  question  was  a  mattt-r  of  diploniutic  liisciissiou  only  tlie 
few  seals  suHicient  for  a  food  supply  for  the  natives  were  killed. 

CALLOmilNrH  UKSIM'S,  THK   FLU  SEAL. 

For  half  the  year  the  Aleuts  and  foxes  have  their  isl.inds  undis- 
turbed. In  May  the  "sea  bears"  swim  throufrh  the  Aleutian  j)asse8 
alter  a  six  months'  circuit  of  a  kite  shaped  track  whose  lower  loop  is 
in  the  latitude  of  Los  Auf^eles.  They  are  followed  as  they  sweep  close 
along  the  Northwest  Coast  by  the  increasing  fleet  of  sealing  schooners, 
whose  hunters  secure  about  one  seal  out  of  ten  shot.  At  the  rooker- 
ies, polygamous  famii'es  herd  ij[i  little  groups  on  the  rocks,  and  the 
patriarch  slays  at  houie  with  the  little  black  pups  all  summer,  while 
the  mother  seals  swim  even  200  miles  in  search  of  their  daily  10  and 
20  pounds  of  cod  or  salmon.  They  are  timid  creatures,  and  at  any 
strange  noise  they  rush  to  the  water.  The  kee])ing  of  a  pet  dog  lost 
one  Hussian  manager  ,'!il(lO,(»00  in  one  season  by  the  depopulation  of 
a  rookery.     No  fire-arms,  whistles,  or  bells  are  allowed  on  the  island. 

The  seal's  fur  is  in  best  condition  immediately  on  arrival,  but  he 
assumes  a  new  coat  in  August,  which  is  in  fine  condition  when  about 
to  leave  at  the  end  of  September.  Only  male  seals  from  two  to  four 
years  of  age  are  killed.  These  bachelors  herd  alone,  and  the  Aleuts 
running  between  them  and  the  water  in  the  early  morning  drive  them 
slowly  to  the  killing-ground,  where  they  are  despatched  by  a  blow  on 
the  head,  quickly  bled,  and  the  skins  taken  to  the  salting-house.  Ex- 
cept as  the  Aleuts  make  use  of  the  flesh  and  blubber,  the  carcass  goes 
to  waste.  The  cool,  moist  climate  prevents  these  killing-grounds  from 
causing  an  epidemic,  and  by  the  next  spring  the  hollow,  bird-like  bones 
are  lost  in  the  grass  and  earth. 

The  salted  skins  are  sent  to  London,  the  fur-market  of  the  world, 
auctioned  off,  and  prepared  for  use.  These  perfect  "  Alaskas  "  com- 
mand first  price,  and  "  Victorias " — the  poachers'  riddled,  torn,  and 
slashed  skins — inferior  prices.  Seven  London  firms,  employing  i  ne 
10,000  workmen,  finish  sealskins  at  a  cost  of  7  shillings  each.  No 
machines  have  been  able  to  supplant  the  many  hand  processes  requir- 
ing the  greatest  skill  and  nicety.  The  skins  are  worked  in  sawdust, 
cleaned,  scraped,  washed,  shaved,  plucked,  given  from  8  to  12  coats  of 
dye  with  a  hand-brush,  washed,  and  freed  from  any  remaining  grease 
by  a  bath  of  hot  sawdust  or  sand.  The  Chinese  began  plucking  and 
dyeing  fur-seal  over  a  century  ago  to  furnish  an  imitation  of  sea-otter. 
French  furriers  have  insisted  on  the  darker  dyes,  but  the  strong  nut- 
gall  and  acid  render  the  skins  less  durable  than  when  dyed  to  the 
bright  brown  of  30  years  ago.  Finished  skins  pay  a  duty  of  20 
per  cent  on  re-entering  the  United  States. 


148 


THE  BERING   SEA   AND  SHORES. 


THE  BERING  SEA  QUESTION. 

As  sealskinH  rose  in  value  and  the  seafuring  population  increased 
on  tlie  Northwest  Coast,  pelagic  pcaling  and  poacliin):;  had  their  rise. 
A  tirst  poacher  went  from  San  Franciaco  in  1872.  A  revt-nue  cutter 
was  soon  detailed  to  cruise  in  Bering  Sea  and  seize  such  craft.  The 
scalers  then  took  out  British  papers  and  made  Victoiia  their  home 
port,  and  hy  1879  brought  in  and  reported  12,600  skins  to  the  Cana- 
dian oRicials.  In  188tl  they  brought  in  •)8,0*)7  skins ;  the  rookeries 
were  openly  raided ;  three  Canadian  vessels  were  seized ;  the  British 
minister  at  Washington  protested,  and  the  liering  Sen  Quistion  arose. 

In  1887  six  Canadian  vessels  were  seized,  and  in  the  brief  and  argu- 
ment prepared  by  A.  K.  Duluney,  U.  S.  District  Attoi-ney  at  Sitka,  the 
first  formal  plea  was  made  that  Bering  Sea  was  an  inland  water,  a 
mare  datuntm — no  part  of  the  Pacific  Ocean ;  and  t'lat  the  United 
States  and  Fussian  boundary  line  from  Bering  Strait  to  Attn  Island 
enclo.sed  protected  seal  waters  within  which  the  United  States  had  com- 
plete jurisdiction  by  virtue  of  rights  obtained  from  Russia. 

In  1890  over  loo  schooners  trailed  the  Piibylov  herd  up  the  coast ; 
and  while  the  lessees  of  the  islands  could  only  take  20,000  skins,  (50,- 
000  skins  were  brought  into  Victoria.  Schooners  boldly  raided  the 
rookeries,  and  the  Aleuts  battled  with  the  crews. 

June  16,  1891,  after  every  schooner  had  cleared  from  Victoria, 
Great  Britain  agreed  to  the  inodiin  vivituli  proposed  by  the  United 
States,  whereby  all  sealing  in  Bering  Sea  by  citizens  of  either  national- 
ity should  cease.  The  joint  patrol  of  guniioats  and  cutters  warned 
73  and  seizetl  6  schooners  in  Bering  Sea.  Conmiissioners  from  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain  visited  the  islands  and  met  in  confer- 
ence at  Washington,  in  February,  1892.  The  tnodnn  vivemli  was  re- 
newed for  another  season,  and  a  treaty  of  arbitration  negotiated.  The 
seizure  of  the  supply  steamer  Coqnitlam  off  Nuchek  ]>reventid  the 
Victoria  fleet  from  invading  Bering  Sea  to  any  extent  duiing  1892. 

The  tribunal  of  arbitration  met  in  I'aiis,  March  23,  1893.  Its  mem- 
bers were :  Justice  John  M.  Harlan  and  Senator  John  T.  Morgan,  arbi- 
trators for  the  Unite<l  States  ;  Lord  Ilannen  and  Sir  John  Thompson, 
for  Great  Britain;  Baron  de  Courcelles,  for  France;  Gregers  Gram, 
for  Sweden;  and  the  Marquis  Vcnosta,  for  Italy.  Hon.  John  W.  Fos- 
ter appeared  as  agent  for  the  United  States  ;  Hon.  E.  J.  Phelps,  J.  C. 
Carter,  Frederick  Coudert,  H.  W.  Blodgett,  and  R.  Lansing,  as  counsel. 
Hon.  C.  H.  Tujiper  appeared  as  agent  for  Great  Britain,  and  Sir  Charles 
Russell,  Sir  Richard  Webster,  Mr.  C.  Robinson,  and  Mr.  W.  H.  Cross 
as  counsel.     The  arl)itration  covers  the  following  points: 

1.  What  exclusive  juiisdiction  in  the  sea  known  as  the  Bering  Sea, 
and  what  exclusive  right  in  the  scal-firheries  therein,  did  Russia  assert 
and  exercise  prior  and  up  to  the  time  of  the  cession  of  Ala.ska  to  the 
United  States  ? 

2.  How  far  were  these  claims  of  jurisdiction  as  to  the  seal-fish- 
eries recognized  and  conceded  by  Great  Britain  ? 

8.  Was  the  body  of  water  now  known  as  Beriag  Sea  included  in  the 


THE  BERING  SEA  AND  BUORES. 


149 


phrase  "Pacific  Ocean"  as  iiHed  iu  the  Treaty  of  1825  between  Great 
Rritain  and  KiiHsin,  and  what  right,  if  any,  in  Bering  Sea  waH  held  and 
exclimively  exercised  by  Russia  after  said  treaty  ? 

4.  Did  not  all  the  rigiits  of  Russia  as  to  jurisdiction  and  as  to  the 
seal-fisheries  in  Bering  Sea,  east  of  the  water  boundary,  in  the  treaty 
btiween  the  United  States  and  Russia  of  the  HOth  of  March,  1867,  pass 
unimpaired  to  the  United  States  tuider  that  treaty? 

6.  Has  the  United  States  any  right,  and,  if  so,  what  right  of  pro- 
tection of  property  in  the  fur-seals  frecpienting  the  islands  of  the  United 
States  in  Bering  Sea,  when  such  seals  are  found  outside  the  ordinary 
three-mile  limit  t 

The  tribunol  rendered  a  decision  adverse  to  the  United  States,  refus- 
ing to  consider  that  the  United  States  had  entire  property  rights  in  the 
seal  herds,  or  to  consider  the  question  of  damages  to  United  States 
property  by  pelagic  sealing.  The  effeot  of  the  decision  made  the  United 
States  liable  to  damages  for  seizure  and  detention  of  sealing  schooners. 
The  Secretary  of  State  and  the  British  ambassador,  in  1895,  fixed  ujion 
the  sum  of  |425,()0(),  as  covering  all  such  damages,  but  Congress  re- 
fused to  appropriate  that  sum  in  settlement,  deeming  the  amount  exor- 
bitant. In  1896,  Congress  authoiized  o  commission  of  one  British,  one 
United  States,  and  one  Swiss  citizen  to  examine  and  recommend  such 
claims  for  damages. 

The  tribunal  instituted  such  regulotions  as  it  judged  sufficient  to 
protect  the  seal  herds  from  extennination  by  pelagic  sealing,  but  as 
these  proved  wholly  insufficient,  the  seals  rapidly  decreased,  thousands 
of  young  seals  starving  to  death  on  the  beaches  each  summer,  and  Con- 
gress long  discussed  th  '  ngley  bill,  which  provided  that  tlie  lessees 
should  kill  every  seal  thai  landed  on  the  islands,  and  the  Bering  Sea 
question  thus  be  forever  ended. 

After  examining  all  evidence  at  Victoria,  the  Claims  Commission, 
December  16,  1897,  rendered  an  award  to  Great  Britnin  for  $294,000, 
with  interest,  which,  added  to  it,  amounted  to  $463,000. 

A  Seal  Conference  was  held  at  Washington  in  October,  1897,  in 
which  delegates  from  the  United  States,  Russia,  and  Japan  participated. 
Great  Britain  declining  to  be  represented.  At  this  conference  it  was 
determined  that  the  seal  herds  were  threatened  with  extermination,  and 
that  the  nations  concerned  should  enter  into  a  conference  for  the  adop- 
tion of  regulations  for  their  better  protection ;  and  the  three  Govern- 
ments invited  Great  Britain  to  unite  in  a  convention  for  that  purpose. 
Great  Britain  again  refused  its  concurrence.  In  November  following, 
a  conference  of  expert  naturalists,  representing  the  United  States,  Great 
Britain,  and  Canada,  met  in  Washington  after  having  made  a  thorough 
investigation  of  conditions  of  seal  life  on  tue  Pribylov  Islands.  These 
experts  reached  a  series  of  conclusions  in  which  they  all  joined,  show- 
ing that — 

1.  The  seols  had  steadily  declined  in  numbers  since  1884  (when  the 
effects  of  pelagic  sealing  first  began  to  be  felt). 

2.  That  the  herd  was  at  present  only  from  one  third  to  one  fifth  of 
its  former  proportions. 


160 


THE   BERING    SEA   AND   SHORES. 


3.  That  p«lagif  Healin^i^,  resulting  in  inditicriniinatc  slaughter,  was 
the  cause  of  tliii«  decrousc. 

4.  That  the  killing  of  seals  on  the  Pribylov  Ixlands  t.  as  unobjec- 
tionable. 

6.  That  the  pelagic  sealers  bad  observed  the  regulations  in  good 
faith. 

6.  That  while  there  was  no  danger  of  extermination  of  the  herd  as 
long  as  it  was  protected  on  land,  yet  the  buhiness  hud  already  ceased 
to  be  profitable  cither  to  the  lessees  of  the  islands  or  to  pelagic  sealers. 

Negotiations  are  now  (1898)  [>ending  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  for  a  revision  of  the  regulations  upon  the  basis  of  the 
conclusions  of  the  expert  conference. 

Further  regulations,  absolutely  prohibiting  pelagic  sealing,  also  pro- 
hibited the  iniportntioo  and  sale  of  pelagic  skins  after  December  20, 
1897,  and  the  law  was  rigorously  executed  at  all  the  custom-houses 
of  the  United  States. 


Other  Islands  in  Bering  Sea* 

Less  than  300  Esquimaux  manage  to  exist  on  St.  Matthew  and  St. 
Lawrenre,  and  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  latter  island  died  of 
starvation  in  1878-'79.  Polar  bears  come  down  to  these  islands  on  the 
ice-floes,  and  their  glossy  winter-killed  skins,  averaging  from  12  to  15 
ft.  in  length,  bring  from  $30  to  $60  in  trade. 

Ft.  St.  iMicliael's,  on  an  island  in  Norton  Sound,  70  miles  N. 
of  the  Yukon's  mouth,  is  commercial  headquarters  for  the  Yukon  and 
Arctic  regions,  and  was  created  a  U.  S.  military  post  and  reservation 
in  October,  1897.  Miners  and  freight  exchange  from  ships  to  light- 
draught  river  steamers,  as  with  its  many  mouths  no  navigable  ship- 
channel  into  the  Yukon  was  found  until  the  survey  of  1898,  and  bars 
extend  for  100  miles  from  shore.  There  are  1,370  miles  of  navigation 
between  St.  Michaels  and  Forty-Mile  Creek,  at  the  crossing  of  the  inter- 
national boundary  line  on  the  Yukon.  There  are  a  Swedish  mission 
and  school  in  Norton  Sound,  and  a  Congregational  mission  and  school 
at  the  large  Esquimaux  village  just  below  Cape  Prince  of  Wales. 

The  Bureau  of  Education,  in  order  to  provide  a  future  food  sup- 
ply for  the  natives,  has  established  a  reindeer  farm  at  Port  Clarence, 
bringing  the  domesticated  animals  from  the  Siberian  side  and  train- 
ing Innult  boys  to  care  for  them. 

Bering  Strait. 

Bering  Strait,  dividing  the  continents  of  Asia  and  North  Amer- 
ica, is  36  miles  wide  between  East  Cape  and  Cape  Prince  of  Wales, 


IN   THE   ARCTIC   OCEAN. 


151 


with  the  three  Diomede  lalandg  standing  midway.  Tlie  shallow  water 
and  upward  current  prevent  any  great  icebergs  floating  down  through 
this  strait,  and  the  ice  to  northward  has  rarely  been  seen  to  exceed 
60  ft.  in  height  above  the  water.  There  are  no  glaciers  on  either  the 
Bering  or  Arctic  coast,  hence  no  icebergs,  but  only  packs  and  floes. 
The  Jemviette  passed  through  this  strait  in  1879  and  sunk  off  the 
Siberian  coast ;  and  N'ordenskjold  brought  the  r*f/rt  successfully  through 
from  the  Atlantic  in  1880.  Eugene  Sue's  Wandering  Jew  is  described 
as  standing  on  the  Siberian  promontory  and  conversing  acrcss  the 
waters  'ith  the  unknown  female  on  Cape  Prince  of  Wales;  and  tele- 
graph ca'i  .'S  and  railway  bridges  have  been  planned  to  connect  the 
continents  at  this  point. 

In  the  Arctic  Ocean. 

The  Arctic  Circle  is  drawr.  across  the  water  just  above  the  capes, 
and  the  true  Land  of  the  MidniglU  Sun  is  entered.  The  shores  of  Kot- 
zebue  Sound  are  the  same  marsh  and  tundra,  covered  with  summer  wild 
flowers,  as  seen  along  all  the  coast  from  the  point  of  the  Aliuska  Pen- 
insula. 

The  Pacific  Arctic  is  the  last  whaling-ground  left.  The  Pacific 
whaling  fleet,  which  numbered  600  vessels  a  century  ago,  incluJes  but 
60  now.  There  are  10  steam  whalers,  and  they  obtain  fuel  from  the 
coal-veins  at  Cape  Lisbunie,  discovered  and  used  by  Captain  C.  L. 
Hooper  during  his  arctic  cruises  in  search  of  the  Jcannttte.  The  aver- 
age whaler  is  a  dilapidated  bark  or  brig,  which  with  difficulty  obtains  a 
crew  and  can  seldom  be  insured.  A  few  of  these  whalers  have  wintered 
off  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  River,  in  order  to  be  on  the  ground  in 
the  spring.  The  crew  go  on  shares,  each  man  on  board  taking  a  per- 
centage of  the  sea.son's  catch  on  his  return  to  San  Francisco.  Oil  is 
not  the  prize  sought  now,  and  the  bowhead,  or  Kadink  whiile,  nmks  the 
sperm,  since  whalebone  commands  $6  a  pound,  and  a  single  boghead 
yields  from  $6,000  to  $7,000  in  bone.  The  whalers  trade  with  Sibe- 
rian and  Alaskan  natives,  and  a  revenue  cutter  patrols  the  Arctic  each 
season  to  see  that  liquoi's  and  fire-arms  are  not  introduced ;  to  aid  and 
rescue  whalers  when  necessary ;  to  give  them  communication  with  the 
world  below,  and  to  administer  justice. 

Point  Barrow,  named  by  Beechey  in  1826,  which  corresponds  in 
latitude  to  the  North  Cape  of  Norway,  is  600  miles  E.  of  Bering  Strait, 
"".lid  the  most  northern  point  of  Alaska  and  of  the  continent.    A  U.  S. 


T 


152 


IN   THE   ARCTIC   OCEAN. 


Bigaal  station  was  maintained  there  for  two  years,  as  one  in  a  chain  of 
Arctic  stations  maintained  by  European  governments  for  magnetic  and 
meteorological  observations.  A  refuge  station  was  next  built,  50  out 
of  87  whalers  having  been  wrecked  near  that  point,  and  the  crews  of 
12  whalers  preferring  to  go  down  with  their  ships  in  1877,  than  to 
chance  the  slower  death  in  small  boats  or  on  shore.  A  Government 
school  and  Presbyterian  mis.sion  was  built  in  1890  to  care  for  the  Es- 
quimaux settled  around  the  station.  It  is  visited  and  revictualled  an- 
nually by  the  revenue  cutter.  The  refuge  station  was  closed  by  the 
Government  in  1896  and  the  supplies  sold,  the  whalers  having  made 
no  request  for  its  maintenance  when  circulars  requesting  opinions  were 
sent  to  them.  In  the  winter  of  1897-'98  eight  whaling  vessels  were 
"  nipped  "  and  sunk  off  Port  Barrow ;  and  the  crews,  forced  to  camp 
on  shore,  were  rescued  from  starvation  by  driving  500  reindeer  across 
from  the  Government  reindeer  station  at  ^t.  Lawrence  and  donaiing 
them  as  a  food  supply  until  relief  vessels  could  reach  them  the  follow- 
ing July. 

A  first  pleasure  tourist  visited  the  arctic  whaling  ground  in  1891,  a 
New  Yo'k  yachtsman  piiying  $-5,01)0  for  the  three  months'  cruise  in 
a  Japanese  steamer  chartered  at  Yokohama.  Its  presence  created  almost 
as  great  an  excitement  as  the  Confedeiate  piivateer  '^hendmlooh  wiicn 
it  appeared  among  tlic  New  Bedford  fleet  in  1805,  captured  ami  burned 
35  whalers,  and  sent  three  to  San  Francisco  as  ciirtcls.  The  f<hciwn- 
doah  made  but  one  port  in  the  tliirtien  months  after  leaving  (ilasgow. 
It  was  the  only  vessel  that  carried  the  Confederate  flag  around  the 
world,  and  carried  it  for  six  months  after  Appomattox.  It  visited  every 
ocean  save  the  Antarctic,  carried  its  anchors  at  its  bows  for  eight  months, 
ran  38,000  statute  inilcs,  and  never  lost  a  chase.  A  Melbourne  n  hab^r 
warned  and  saved  niiiny  Yankee  ships,  and  the  Shennn'loah  huiiicd  for 
the  Australian  ship  in  vain,  else  SItciutmloah  claims  might  have  aggre- 
gated more  than  $tj,000,000. 

Demurcatioii  Point,  (ioo  miles  E.  of  Point  Barrow,  is  the  inter- 
national boundaiy  line,  where  "  tiie  meridian  line  of  the  141st  degree  iu 
its  prolongation  reaches  the  Frozen  Ocean." 

Beyond  lie  the  Northeast  and  the  Northwest  Passage,  in  search  for 
which  ,vo  generations  of  exjjlorers  sacrificed  their  lives.  The  country 
"beyond  the  north  wind"  still  hues,  and  scientist,  mariner, and  fireside 
tourists  dream  of  the  place  where  latitude  stops,  longitude  cent-^rs, 
time  ends  and  time  begins,  and  where  the  sun  circles  around  the  sum- 
mer eky  brooding  above  the  pole. 


T 


THE   YUKON    MINING   KKGIOXS. 


153 


The  Yukon  Mining  Regions. 
Klondik«<!,  Forty  Mile,  Alyiiook,  etc. 

The  upper  and  lower  Vukon  regions  were  discovered  separately. 
For  a  long  time  the  unity  of  the  t«o  great  streams  was  unknown,  and 
they  remain  to  a  degree  separate  regions  now,  one  belonging  to  the 
United  States  and  the  other  to  Canada.  The  mouth  of  the  great  river 
was  explored  by  GlasnofF  in  1835,  anri  by  Zagoskin  in  1842,  under  the 
name  of  the  Kuichpak,  but  it  was  not  wni'l  1863  that  the  Russians 
ascended  to  the  boundary  line  of  their  oossesfions  at  the  crossing  of 
the  141st  meridian,  the  fur-trade  of  which  section  was  controlled  en- 
tirely by  the  H.  B.  Co.,  and  its  chain  of  forts  reaching  eastward  to  Hud- 
son's Bay.  H.  B.  Co.  employees  on  the  Mackenzie  River  had  heard  of 
the  river  long  before  Mr.  Robert  Campbell  (in  1840),  in  exploring  and 
extending  trade  to  the  westward  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  reached  the 
Pelly  River.     In  the  same  letter,  quoted  at  page  69,  he  further  wrote : 

''  The  rascally  Chilkat  Indians  from  the  Pacific  coast  were  in  the 
habit  of  making  trading  excursions  to  Pclly.  They  ascended  by  Lynn 
Canal,  thence  crossed  over  the  mountains  to  the  head  of  Lewis  River. 
Descending  this  river  they  came  to  the  Pelly,  where  oftentimes,  when 
strong  enough,  they  pillaged  and  massacred  the  Pelly  Indians,  than 
whom  there  could  be  no  more  honest  men." 

In  1846  Mr.  J.  Bell,  of  the  H.  B.  Co.,  went  over  from  the  Mackenzie 
River,  descended  the  Porcupine  to  a  great  river  which  the  Indians  called 
the  Yukon,  and  he  first  attached  that  name  to  the  stream.  Ft.  Yukon,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Porcupine  River,  was  built  by  the  II.  B.  Co.  in  1847, 
and  in  1864  they  built  a  new  fort  a  mile  lower  down,  for  convenience  in 
landing.  As  it  was  always  known  that  these  stockades  were  on  Russian 
ground,  the  H.  B.  Co.  paid  a  regular  rental.  Ft.  Yukon  was  supplied 
by  the  chain  of  forts  reaching  from  York  Factory  on  Hudson's  Bay  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  aud  the  upper  Porcupine.  Ft.  Selkirk, 
farther  up  the  Yukon,  built  in  1849,  was  about  to  be  abandoned  when 
the  Chiikats  attacked  it  in  18Q1,  dtx)ve  out  the  occupants,  and  plundered 
and  burned  the  buildings  because  of  the  H.  B.  Co.'s  interference  there 
with  their  overland  trade  from  LjTin  Canal. 

In  1866  Messrs.  Ketchum  and  Lebarge,  of  the  W.  U.  T.  Co.'s  sur- 
vey parties,  reached  Ft.  Selkirk  from  tne  sea,  and  Dr.  W.  H.  Dall  and 
Frederick  Whymper  passed  the  winter  of  1865-'66  near  Kidato. 

n 


154 


THE   YUKON    MINING   REGIONS. 


M.  Byrnes,  of  the  W.  U.  T.  Co.  Survey,  coming  northward  from  the 
Stikine  River  to  the  head-waters  of  the  Taku,  followed  the  lakes  and 
the  Ilootalingua  River  to  the  Lewis,  and  camped  on  the  Tako  Arm  of 
Tagish  Lake  in  August,  1 867.  With  the  success  of  the  Atlantic  cable 
the  W.  U.  T.  Co.  abandoned  its  survey,  and  no  further  exploration  was 
made  in  that  region  until  the  mineral  discoveries  near  Sitka  from 
1871-"77,  and  the  tide  of  Cassiar  miners  drifting  northward  discussed 
the  Yukon  as  a  next  possible  gold  Held. 

(►cean  steamers  from  the  south  connect  at  i'V.  Wrnncfell  with  the 
few  to  the  British  side  of  the  boundary  line ;  but  no  other  evidence  of 
United  States  possession  was  given  until  the  first  miners  came  over 
from  the  Chilkoot  Pass  in  1878-'79-'80,  and  the  SchictHin  brothers 
arrived  from  St.  Michaels  in  1882. 

The  first  white  man  to  cross  the  divide  between  Lynn  Canal  and 
the  head  waters  of  the  Yukon,  according  to  Chilkat  and  local  Alaskan 
tradition,  was  a  red-headed  Scotchman  in  the  emi)l<)y  of  the  U.  B.  Co., 
V  .10,  reaching  the  ruins  of  Ft.  Selkirk  in  1804,  started  alone  along  the 
old  "grease  trail"  to  the  sea.  He  hid  from  the  trading  parties  of  In- 
dians all  the  way,  crossed  the  pass,  and  was  .seized  and  held  until  ran- 
somed  by  Captain  Swanson,  of  the  H.  H.  Co.'a  ship  Labouchere,  when  he 
came  to  trade  at  Pi/ramid  Harbour.  Believing  that  he  was  a  Shaman, 
because  of  his  long  red  hair,  the  Indians  treated  him  well.  Dr.  Daw- 
son discredits  this  story  of  the  lone  Scotch  pioneer,  for  the  reason  that 
Ft.  Selkirk  was  in  ruins  at  that  time.  Goorge  Holt,  an  old  Casaiar 
miner,  claimed  to  have  made  his  way  across  the  pass  in  1872,  and  again 
in  1874,  whon  he  left  his  Chilkoot  escort  and  went  down  the  Yukon  to 
the  point  where  he  crossed,  by  a  Russian  trail,  to  the  Kuskokwim  River, 
and  reached  tne  sea.  In  1874,  Arthur  Harper,  coming  over  from  the 
(-assiar  by  way  of  Mackenzif  River  and  the  Porcupine,  reached  the  Yu- 
kou  and  ascended  to  the  White  River,  on  which  he,  with  two  compan- 
ions, wintered,  and  for  the  two  open  seasons  prospected  for  copper  with 
poor  results.  They  prospected  the  Forty-Mile  Creek  as  vainly;  ob. 
tained  provisions  from  St.  Miehaeh,  wintered  near  the  Koyukuk,  and 
in  1873  joined  the  traders  McQuestcu  and  llayo,  who  had  opened 
a  post  at  Ft.  Reliance,  &\  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Klondikt 
River, 

In  1877  Lieutenant  C.  E  S.  Wood  went  to  Chilkoot,  intending  to 
cross  and  explore  continental  Alaska,  but  was  prevented  by  the  Indians. 
In  1878  George  Holt  crossed  with  a  trading  party  of  Chilkoots,  went 


THE   YUKON   MINING   REGIONS. 


155 


with  them  as  far  as  Ft.  Selkirk,  a:id  returned  safely  ;  Rath  and  Bean, 
two  Sitka  miners,  being  refused  the  privilege  at  the  very  same  time. 
In  1880  Captain  Beardslee,  U.  S.  N.,  took  the  case  of  the  p-ospectors 
in  hand,  and  by  his  diplomacy  and  guarantees  Bean  and  19  miners,  who 
promised  not  to  interfere  with  the  fur-trade,  were  guided  across  to  /V. 
Selkirk,  finding  tine  gold  and  large  gravel  dpopits  all  the  way,  A 
trader  who  slipped  in  in  the  wai;e  of  the  prospectors,  was  detected  by 
the  Indians,  brougiit  back,  and  '.lis  life  saved  only  by  Captain  Beards- 
lee's  most  active  intervention.  The  Bean  party  divided  at  Ft.  Selkirk, 
one  party  prospecting  as  far  as  rt.  Yukon  and  returning  to  Chilkoot, 
the  others  ascending  the  Pdlji  and  ciossing  to  I)e<ue  Lake  and  the  Cas- 
siar  region.  As  this  pioneer  party  went  in,  they  met  James  Wynn  of 
Juneau  coming  out,  and  he  claims  to  have  also  gone  over  the  pass  in 
1879. 

The  Indians,  finding  that  the  packing  of  miners'  supplies  over  the 
pass  was  more  remunerative  tlian  the  diniini.-*hing  fur-trade,  lifted  the 
blockade.  Small  parties  of  miners  crossed  the  pass  in  1881  ;  an  or- 
ganized party  of  Arizona  miners  crossed  in  188'J.  In  1883  James  Du- 
gan  led  a  party  tiiat  made  a  permanent  camp  and  remained  all  winter ; 
and  also,  in  1883,  Lieutenant  Schwalka  crossed  the  pass  and  made  a 
quick  raft  journey  down  to  the  sea,  renaming  all  the  peaks,  passes, 
lakes,  and  rivers,  to  the  great  confusion  of  geographers,  map-makers, 
and  miners. 

In  1882  the  Schiefflin  brothers,  of  Tombstone,  Arizona,  took  their 
own  river  steamer,  launches,  supplies,  etc.,  to  <Sy,  Michaels,  and  for 
more  than  a  year  prospected  the  Yukon  banks  for  a  thousand  miles. 
Tliey  discovered  the  placers  on  Mymwk  Creek,  found  good  prospects  in 
many  places,  but  because  of  the  long  winters  and  the  remoteness  from 
the  base  of  supplies  decided  that  mining  would  not  be  profitable  there, 
and  returned. 

In  1886  coarse  gold  was  found  on  Foity-Mile  Creek  at  the  supposed 
boundary  line,  and  stimulus  was  given  to  the  steady  influx  of  miners 
from  Juneau. 

In  1800  -Mr.  E.  J.  Clave  explored  from  Cldlkat  Pm.'i  to  the  head- 
waters of  the  Ahek  River  and  to  Dry  Bay,  and  in  1891  took  the  "  pio- 
neer pack-horses"  over,  and  with  his  camp-hand,  Jack  Dalton,  found 
pasturage  and  an  ea.sy  trail  through  the  rolling  bush  country  beyond. 

In  1891  rich  discoveries  were  made  on  Birch  Creek,  and  Circle  City 
was  established  on  the  banks  of  the  Yukon,  2t»0  miles  below  the  bound- 


156 


THE    YUKON    MINING    11K(JI<>NS. 


ary  line,  and  connecting  by  an  8-mile  portage  with  the  head  of  Birch 
Creek.  This  settlement  was  supposed  to  be  on  the  line  of  the  Arctic  Cir- 
cle when  named,  but  has  been  determined  as  lying  76  miles  southof  it. 

In  1895  there  were  further  discoveries  on  Mosquito  Creek  at  the 
head  of  Forty- Mile  Creek;  and  in  that  year  a  detachment  of  20  Caneu 
dian  Mounted  Police  went  in  by  way  of  iSt.  Miefiaek  and  established  lY. 
Cudahi/,  at  the  mouth  of  Forty- Mile  Creek  near  the  boundary  line,  and 
instituted  a  regular  Canadian  mail  service  via  Dyea  to  Victoria. 

On  August  12,  1897,  the  richest  gold  field  aiong  the  Yukon  was  dis- 
covered by  Ceorge  Carmack,  of  California,  on  Bonanza  Creek,  an  affluent 
of  the  Klondike  River  which  empties  into  the  Yukon  some  70  miles 
above  or  ei  Jt  of  the  boundary  line.  Upon  the  news  of  his  great  find, 
anc"  succeeding  pans  of  $200  and  even  $300  in  value,  the  country  went 
wild,  and  the  other  camp5  and  towns  along  the  Yukon  were  emptied 
in  that  winter's  rush  to  the  Klondike.  Harper  and  Ladue,  traders  from 
Ft.  Selkirk  and  Sirty-Mile,  removed  at  once  to  the  mouth  of  the  new 
river  and  laid  out  a  town  site  named  for  Dr.  (Jeurge  M.  Dawson,  of  the 
Canadian  Geological  Survey.  By  the  spring  of  1897  the  excitement 
'.ad  reached  the  Pacific  Coast  cities,  and  with  the  arrival  in  July  of  sev- 
eral ships  freighted  with  minors,  their  dust  and  nuggets,  the  fever  was 
communicated  to  the  Atlantic  coast,  Europe,  and  Australia.  There  re- 
sulted a  wild  rush  of  ill  advised  and  ill-provided  gold  seekers  and 
adventurers,  hundreds  going  by  way  of  St.  Michaels,  and,  because  of 
low  water,  spending  the  winter  frozen  ir  on  the  lower  Yukon,  and  thou- 
sands attempting  the  passes  from  Lyim  Canal,  where  the  trails  became 
blocked  and  impassable,  and  many  abandoned  their  provisions  and  tools 
in  order  to  reach  Dawson  before  winter  set  in.  Dyea  and  Shkagway, 
on  Chilkoot  Inlet,  were  made  United  States  sub-ports  of  entry,  and  the 
Canadian  Government  stationed  mounted  police  at  the  foot  of  Chilkoot 
Pass  and  at  the  head  of  Taginh  Lake. 

A  supposed  scarcity  of  food  at  Dawson  City  moved  the  United  States 
Congress  to  appropriate  $100,000  for  a  relief  expedition  to  these  new 
Canadian  mining  camps  in  the  winter  of  1897-'98,  where  it  was  sup- 
posed great  suffering  had  resulted.  Five  hundred  reindeer  were  im- 
poited  from  Lapland,  and  every  arrangement  was  completed  by  the  1st 
of  March,  when  the  relief  expedition  was  abandoned.  An  equal  sum 
was  appropriated  for  the  long-deferred  survey  of  the  mouths  of  the  Yu- 
kon River.  Ft.  Michael  was  made  a  military  post,  and  a  military  recon- 
naissance was  ordered  to  choose  site  for  a  garrison  in  the  Yukon  Valley. 


THE    YUKON    AIINIXG    KEOIONS. 


157 


The  general  land  laws  of  the  United  States  were  extended  to  Alaska, 
and  measures  providing  for  the  establishment  of  commissioners,  courts, 
land  offices,  and  post  routes  in  the  Yukon  Valley,  all  resulted  from  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  Canadian  territory.  Rich  discoveries  on  an  arm  of 
Lake  Atlin  caused  a  stampede  from  Skagway  and  Dyea  late  in  liS98. 

The  Yukon  C!old  Fields  are  reaciieii  from  four  main  points  of 
departure  along  the  Alaskan  coast. 

The  Stikine  Route. 

The  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  Co.  maintains  a  line  of  ocean  steam- 
ers from  Victoria  and  Vancouver  to  Ft.  Wrangcll,  coimecting  there  with 
a  line  of  light-draught,  stern-wheel,  river  steamers,  which  ply  between 
Ft.  Wrangell  and  Glenora,  or  at  high  water  proceed  to  Telegraph  Creek, 
12  miles  beyond.  (Fare  from  Vancouver  and  Victoria  to  Ft.  Wrangell, 
including  meals  and  berths  on  steamship,  §25  first  class,  and  $13  sec- 
ond class.  From  Vancouver  and  Victoria  to  Glenora,  $40  first  class, 
and  $25  second  class.)  Independent  miners  may  easily  ascend  the  Sti- 
kine in  the  winter  on  the  ice  or  in  summer  in  canoes.  Detachments 
of  Canadian  mounted  police  are  stationed  at  ^.he  boundary  and  Glenora 
on  the  Stikine  and  at  fAike  Tediii. 

The  overland  trai.  and  wagon  road  from  Gltnora  to  Lake  7'cslin  is 

145  miles  in  length,  and  will  soon  be  paralleled  by  a  railway.    The  route 

is  through  an  open  and  rolling  country  where  there  is  pasturage  for  a 

limited  supply  of  stock.     A  steamer  has  been  placed  on  Lake  Teslin, 

which  is  from  2  to  15  miles  wide  and  100  miles  long,  and  in  the  562 

miles  of  lake  and  river  navigation  between  Taliu  and  Dawson  the  only 

obstructions  are  the  easily  passed  Rink  Rapids.     The  Stikine  River  is 

open  for  navigation  from  the  first  of  May  to  the  end  of  October,  and 

Lake  Teslin  opens  a  fortnight  later  in  the  spring.     The  itinerary  of  the 

Stikine  has  already  been  given  at  page  68,     The  approximate  distances 

by  the  Stikine  route  are  : 

Vancouver  or  Victoria  to  Ft.  Wrangell (ocean)  700  miles. 

Ft.  Wrantrell  to  Glenora (river)  125    " 

(Jlennra  to  Lake  Tefliu (trail  or  wagon)  14,>     " 

TcBlin  to  Ft.  Selkirk Uake  and  river)  400     '• 

Ft.  Selkirk  to  Stewart  Uivpr (river)  105     " 

Stewart  River  to  Dawson  City (river)  _67     " 

.  .         Total  dJHtance  from  Vancouver  and  Victoria  to  J>aw- 

BonCity 1,512  mlleB. 

The  Takn  Houte. 

Independent  miners  have  gone  from  Juneau  by  canoe  or  steam 
launches  to  Taku  Inlet  and  up  the  shallow  Taku  River  lor  40  miles  and 


158 


THE   YUKON    MINING   REGIONS. 


then  by  one  of  three  routes  to  the  lakes :  1.  By  the  South  Fork  or  Ink- 
lin  River  to  the  wagon-road  from  Olenora  to  Teslin.  2.  By  the  Middle 
Fork  or  Nakinn  River  and  over  a  low  pass  to  Teslin  Lake.  3.  By  the 
North  Fork  and  a  short  portage  to  LakeAtlin,  and  by  portage  to  Tayinh 
Lake.  , 

The  Skagway  Route. 

The  bulk  of  Yukon  travel  has  gone  from  Skapway  on  the  east 
shore  of  Chilkoot  Inlet,  over  the  WhUe  Pass  to  Lake  Bennett.  Ska- 
ffwat/,  a  town  of  5,000  to  8,000  inhabitants,  suddenly  sprang  into  exist- 
ence and  was  made  a  sub-port  of  entry  in  the  summer  of  18'J7,  when 
the  first  rush  began  to  the  Klondike.  It  has  better  whar\'e8,  nearer 
anchorage  and  land  g  facilities  than  the  other  ports  of  Li/nn  Canal, 
and  the  easy  grade  over  the  low  White  Pass  assures  its  permanence. 
It  was  s^ept  by  fire  in  1898,  but  soon  rebuilt.  It  has  hotels,  water- 
works, electric  lights,  tourist  bureau,  freight  and  transportation  com- 
panies, and  outfitting  shops  of  every  description.  White  Pass  being 
reported,  wfs  first  explored  and  surveyed  by  Captain  Moore,  of  Mr. 
W.  Ogilvie's  survey  of  June,  1887,  and  named  for  Hon.  Thomas  White, 
Canadian  Minister  of  the  Interior.  The  railroad  surveyed  to  Ft.  Selkirk 
and  Dawson  was  completed  from  Skagway  to  the  summit  of  White  Pass 
at  the  end  of  1898.  The  wagon-road  to  Lake  Bennett  is  52  miles  in 
length,  crossing  low  bottom  land  for  4  miles,  ascending  to  the  summit  of 
White  Pass  (2,600  ft.)  in  the  next  13  miles,  and  dropping  thence  by 
easy  stages  for  35  miles  to  the  head  of  Lake  Bennett,  where  it  unites 
with  the  Djiea  Trail.  From  that  point  there  is  navigation  for  small 
boats  the  length  of  the  Yukon,  impeded  only  by  the  dangerous  Miles 
Canon  and  the  White-Horse  Rapid.*,  where  a  portage  of  2  miles  is 
necessary.  Small  light-draught  steel  steamers  were  placed  on  these 
lakes  in  1898,  and  convey  passengers  to  the  head  of  Miles  Cation.  At 
the  other  side  of  White-Horse  Rapids  steam  navigation  is  resumed,  and 
is  continuous  for  the  1,600  miles  to  St.  Michaels.  There  are  saw-mills 
on  Lake  Bennett,  and  boats  may  be  built  or  pur'  "lused. 

The  Canadian  CustomHouse  and  station  of  Moimted  Police  was  at 
Tagish  Houses,  between  Tagish  Lake  (a  continuation  of  Lake  Bennett) 
and  Marsh  Lake,  but  during  the  year  1 897  the  custom-house  was  tem- 
porarily removed  to  the  summit  of  White  Pass,  and  another  estab- 
lished at  Chilkoot  Pass  in  February,  1898.  Duty  is  levied  on  outfits 
not  purchased  in  Canada,  and  only  the  immediate  personal  effects,  tools, 
and  provisions  of  miners  are  exempt. 


THE   YUKON    MINING   KKGIONS. 


159 


The  Dyea  Ronte. 

This  route  follows  the  original  Chilkoot  trail  of  the  Datives  used  b" 
the  pioneer  prospectors,  and  still  preferred  by  lightly  equipped  travellers, 
as  being  the  shortest  trail  over  the  range  to  the  lakes.  Dyea,  lying  4 
miles  beyond  Skagway,  has  the  same  harbour  difficulties  to  contend 
with.  Ocean  steamers  anchor  8  miles  out,  and  cargo  is  landed  in  light- 
ers. An  aerial  tramway,  carrying  passengers  and  freight  in  cages  trav- 
elling on  a  steel  cable  suspended  from  a  line  of  posts  and  towers,  now 
crosses  the  pass.  This  tramway  is  the  application  on  a  larger  scale  of  the 
simple  arrangement  of  buckets  and  wire  ropes  by  which  ore  is  brought 
down  from  difficult  and  inaccessible  mine  openings  in  mountainous 
countries. 

The  trail  from  Dyea  crosses  the  Dyea  Creek  seven  times  in  the  first 
13  miles.     Seven  miles  of  this  distance  up  the  valley  to  the  forks  of  the 
creek  may  be  made  in  canoes.     Sheep  Camp,  5  miles  beyond,  marks  the 
timber  line,  and  there  the  real  ascent  begins,  the  path  rising  ),800  ft.  in 
the  next  3  miles,  1,000  ft.  of  that  ascent  accomplished  in  half  a  mile  ; 
for  which  reason  the  pass  is  not  available  for  pack-horses  or  vehicles 
beyond  the  first  few  miles,  and  all  goods  must  be  packed  on  the  back, 
and  even  in  winter  packed  to  the  summit  of  Chilkoot  Pass,  3,500  ft., 
and  then  lashed   to  sleds   and  drawn   or  tobogganed  down  on  the 
other  side.    The  descent  of  1,320  ft.  from  the  summit  to  Lake  Linde- 
man  is  accomplished  by  easy  trail  in  16^  miles,  and  at  the  foot  of  the 
next,  or  Bennett  Lake,  the  Dyea  and  Skagway  Trails  meet.     The  27 
miles  of  navigation  on  Lake  Bennett,  succeeded  by  17  miles  down  Lake 
Tagish,  bring  the  miner  to  the  Canadian  custom-house,  where  duties 
are  levied  on   all  American-bought  goods  save  the  immediate  tools, 
clothing,  and  provisions  of  the  traveller.     There  are  19  miles  of  navi- 
gation on  Marsh  Lake,  succeeded  by  the  Fifty  Mile  River,  half-way  in 
which  the  dangerous  Miles  Canon  and  White-Horse  Rapids  necessitate 
a  portage  of  2  miles,  and  the  miner  risks  only  his  empty  boat  through 
the   fury  of  waters.     River  steamers  can  navigate  from  the  foot  of 
White-Horse  Rapids  to  St.  Michaels,  and  more  frequent  and  regular 
steam  communication  from  this  point  to  Dawson  is  maintained  each 
season.     Navigation  on  these  upper  lakes  and  streams  does  not  open 
usually  before  the  middle  of  May  or  the  first  of  June,  and  closes  by  the 
end  of  September. 


160 


TIIK    YUKON'    MINING    KKOIONSt. 


The   Chilkat   Route,   Dalton  and   Round   Trails. 

There  are  three  routes  from  the  head  of  Chilkat  Met  to  the  Yukon 
River  nt  Ft.  iSclkirk,  or  to  the  Nordemkjold  River  and  liiiik  Rapids,  70 
miles  above  that  settlement.  The  old  Indian  Irai!  to  Chilkat  Paaa, 
3,100  ft.,  was  first  explored  and  mapped  by  the  Drs,  Krause,  of  Bre- 
men, in  1882,  as  far  as  Lake  Arkell,  and  then  traversed  in  part  by  Mr. 
E.  J.  Glave  and  his  camp  assistant  Dalton  with  pack-horses  in  1891. 
The  present  D<tlton  Trail  from  Piiramid  I/nrbour  follows  the  west  bank 
of  Chilkat  River  and  then  its  west  fork,  crossing  the  mountains  45  miles 
from  the  coast  at  a  lower  elevation  (3,000  ft.)  and  to  the  west  of  the  old 
Indian  trail,  and  following  across  a  low,  rolling  bush  country  to  Dal- 
ton^s  Hotise  on  the  Krotahin  River,  and  thence  due  north  over  the  same 
hilly  country  to  Ft.  Selkirk,  or  to  Uink  Rapids,  where  boats  and  barges 
are  taken  for  the  journey  to  Dawson  and  the  mining  camps.  This  route 
of  415  miles  from  Chilkat  to  Ft.  Selkirk  is  used  by  pack  trains  of 
horses,  mtilcs,  and  dogs,  and  is  srggested  for  the  route  of  winter  rein- 
deer express  service,  since  the  reindeer  moss  has  been  reported  as  grow- 
ing  at  one  place  near  Chilkat  Pa.ss ;  and  for  many  seasons  droves  of 
cattle  and  sheep  have  been  driven  in  over  this  trail  to  Ft.  Selkirk. 

The  old  Chilkat  Trail,  now  the  Bound  Trail,  follows  the  main 
branch  of  the  Chilkat  River  up  to  the  Chilkat  J^ass  3,100  ft.,  and  de- 
scending past  the  shore  of  iMke  Arkell  follows  dirt  .'t'v  north  to  the 
Nordenskjold  River  and  Rivk  Rapids  on  the  Yukon. 

The  distances  by  the  Dalton  Trail,  which  is  used  entirely  after  navi- 
gation closes,  are  estimated  as 

MILES. 

Chilkat  to  Ft.  Selkirk 41.') 

"      DawBon 600 

"      CircleCity H!0 

"         "      Mynook 1,(X)0 

"      St.  Michaels I.(i00 

The  di.-»tances  by  these  routes  from  Lynn  Canal  are  tiius  given  by 
U.  S.  C.  and  G.  Survey  on  Chart  No  3100: 


Via  C'hi/koot  PaJiK. 

BTAT.  hii.es. 

Seattle  to  Dyca 1,11.5 

Dyea  to  Dawson 627 

Via  Sttkine  River. 

Seattle  to  Wrangell 8.54 

Wrangell  to  Telegraph  Creek. .      HO 
Telegraph  Creek  to  head  of  Tes- 

linLake 227 

Head  of  Teslin  Lake  to  Daw- 
son        525 


Via  St.  Michaels  and  Yukon  River. 

STAT.  MILES. 

San  Francisco  to  Dutch  Harbour. .  2,846 

Seattle  to  Dutch  Harbour 1,9.56 

Dutch  Harbour  to  St.  Michaels. . . .      750 
St.  Michaels  to  Mouth  of  Yukon. . .       07 

"  Dawson 1,260 

"  Stewart  River 1,821 

Ft.  Selkirk 1,425 

"  Kive-FiuKer  Rapids.  1,491 

"  Teslin  River 1,612 

"  White-Horse  Rapids  1,697 


IM 


tl,H  hnmllu'lr  I'.ll        »■>' 


Gl  I^iioitiitle 


^ 


Ft.  Hell 

then;  uiiito  t( 

when  it  WW* 

travel  over  fi 

stores  niid  he 

and  an  inipoi 

Offilvir,  a 

porta  nt  mitiir 

UaWNOii 

mouth  of  the 

low,  bopj^y  sii 

Joseph  Harp 

removed  tlieii 

receipt  of  the 

in  Auf^iist,  181 

and  the  Cana( 

the  thoiiHands 

every  kind  wl 

18fl8.     There 

ure-house  for 

nadian  Gover 

change  payal 

established  br 

intervals  furai 

out  over  the 

entry  of  the  t< 

stores,  and  wh 

there  during 

Its  boggy  soil 

able  to  acccmi 

Improper  fooci 

many  miners. 

extreme  sumn 

90°,  100^  and 

mer,  and  fallir 

breaks  up  in  tl 

in  September,  i 

and  November 

travellers.     Wi 


TIIK    YIKON    MINING    Rl?0ION». 


101 


Ft,  N«lkirk,  at  iho  junction  of  tlie  Lewis  ami  Peily  Rivers,  which 
then!  unite  to  form  the  Yukon,  was  a  I!.  B.  ('o.  post  from  1849  to  1851, 
when  it  was  destroyed  by  the  Cldlliat  Indians.  With  tlie  increase  of 
travel  over  from  Alaska  it  heeaine  an  important  campinR-pluce,  and  the 
stores  niid  houses  of  traders  have  made  a  considerable  settlement  there 
and  an  ini|)ortant  place  in  steamboat  navipition. 

Oi/ilvir,  at  the  mouth  of  Sixty-Mile  Creek,  j^ives  access  to  that  Im- 
portant mining  centre, 

DaWNon  City,  on  the  north  or  ripht  bank  of  the  Yukon  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Klondike,  or  "  Throndvik  "  (water  full  of  fish),  occupies  a 
low,  bopny  site  between  the  hills  and  the  river.  It  was  established  by 
Joseph  Harper,  of  Ft.  Selkirk,  and  Joseph  Ladue,  of  Sixty-Mile,  who 
removed  their  trading  stocks  from  those  places  immediately  upon  the 
receipt  of  the  news  of  Carmack's  discovery  of  gold  on  Bonanza  Creek 
in  August,  189«.  There  is  a  station  of  mounted  police  at  Daweor.  City, 
and  the  Canadian  Government  maintains  perfect  control  and  order  over 
the  thousands  of  rough  and  lawless  ones,  criminals,  and  adventurers  of 
every  kind  who  flocked  to  the  Klondike  in  the  excitements  of  1897  Aud 
1898.  There  are  land,  assay,  and  post  offices,  and  a  Government  treas- 
ure-house for  the  safe  keeping  of  miners'  nuggets  and  dust.  The  Ca- 
nadian Government  will  purchase  such  treasure,  and  give  bills  of  ex- 
change  payable  at  any  Canadian  bank.  The  Government  has  also 
established  branch  treasure-houses  in  each  mineral  district,  and  at  stated 
intervals  furnishes  police  escort  to  the  boundary  line  for  miners  going 
out  over  the  passes  with  their  treasure.  In  less  than  a  year  after  the 
entry  of  the  town  site  Dawson  had  over  2,000  inhabitants,  with  hotels, 
stores,  and  wharves,  and  from  6,000  to  20,000  people  were  gathered 
there  during  the  summer  of  1898  when  a  disastrous  fire  occur-ed. 
Its  boggy  soil  caused  much  ill  health,  and  the  two  bo.spitals  were  not 
able  to  accommodate  all  the  typhoid  patients  of  that  first  open  season. 
Improper  food  was  responsible  for  the  scurvy  that  also  attacked  so 
many  miners.  The  thermometer  has  a  range  of  180°  between  the 
extreme  summer  and  winter  temperatures  at  Dawson,  standing  at 
90°,  100',  and  even  110^  in  the  blazinjc^  nightless  days  of  midsum- 
mer,  and  falling  to  —  60°  and  —  10°  in  the  dark  winters.  The  ice 
breaks  up  in  the  river  about  the  middle  of  May,  begins  to  freeze  over 
in  September,  and  is  closed  fast  by  November.  September,  October, 
and  November  are  the  months  recommended  for  the  visits  of  pleasure 
travellers.     With  the  thawing  of  the  spongy,  mossy  surface  of  the 


.saab 


162 


THE   YUKOK    MINING   KEGI0N8. 


ground  each  year  the  whole  land  is  afloat  and  steaming,  and  mosquitoes 
and  gnat9  swarm  more  thickly  than  in  the  tropics. 

Klondike  River  is  navigable  for  canoes  for  40  miles  above  Daw- 
son, and  heads  90  miles  above  that  point.  With  its  chief  affluent, 
Bonanza  Creek,  and  its  tributaries,  Boulder,  Adams,  Eldorado,  Victoria, 
McCarmack  and  Whipple,  Last  Chance,  Hunker,  Gold  Bottom,  and  Too- 
Much-Gold  Creek,  all  the  banks  are  staked  off  into  claims,  and  work  is 
prosecuted  the  year  round — the  miners  thawing  out  or  sinking  prospect 
holes  at  the  rate  of  one  foot  a  day,  and  taking  out  the  gravel  and  earth 
in  the  winter  and  washing  it  out  in  sluices  during  the  summer.  Quartz 
claims  have  been  located  on  Klondike  River  as  on  Forty-Mile  Creek, 
Cone  Hill  on  the  latter  stream  being  claimed  as  a  solid  mountain  of  this 
same  gold-bearing  rock.  A  continuous  system  of  gold-bearing  rock  is 
said  to  run  across  Bonanza,  Eldorado,  Gold  Bottom,  and  Hunter  Creeks 
on  the  Klondike,  and  across  Miller,  Glacier,  and  Forty-Mile  Creek. 
Coal  of  a  poor  quality,  thin  lignite  veins,  crops  out  iu  this  rej^ion  and  at 
many  places  along  the  lower  Yukon. 

Eagle  City,  opposite  Dawson,  has  caught  the  overflow  of  its 
population,  and  Ft.  Reliance,  6  miles  below  Dawson,  has  lost  its  im- 
portance since  the  Klondike  excitement. 

Forty-Mile  and  the  'opposite  ft.  Cudahi/,  the  station  of  Mounted 
Police  at  the  mouth  of  Forty-Mile  Creek,  nr ;  v  ithin  10  miles  by  land  or 
30  miles  by  the  windings  of  the  river  from  the  international  bounds  / 
line.  The  head-waters  and  rich  mineral  regions  of  Forty-Mile  Creek 
are  mostly  within  Alaska  lines,  and  with  interests  so  nearly  touching, 
and  the  mining  population  increasing  so  rapidly,  the  establishment  of 
this  police  station  near  the  chief  supply  town  of  the  upper  river  wa? 
made  imperative  in  1896.  In  1897  Forty-Mile  wf"  almost  depopulated, 
in  the  rush  to  the  Klondike, 

Circle  City,  230  miles  below  iorty-Mile,  which  grew  by  the  dis- 
covery and  necessities  of  the  Birch  Creek  mining  district,  was  almost 
depopulated  in  1897,  '.ut  is  recovering  in  numbers.  At  Ft.  Yukon  there 
are  large  stores  and  warehouses  of  the  trading  companies  engaged  in 
Yukon  purveying,  and  it  is  the  great  depot,  chief  supply  and  steamboat 
station  on  the  Alaskan  section  of  the  Yukon. 

Mynook,  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek  of  that  name,  first  prospected 
by  the  Schiefflin  brothers  in  1882,  and  exploited  by  the  rich  discover- 
ies of  1896  and  1897,  has  become  an  outfitting  and  supply  station  of 
great  importance.     Jfi/nook  is  70  mi't^s  from  the  mouth  of  the  Tanana 


i 


fe; 


c 


'. 


THE   YUKON   MINING   REGIONS. 


163 


River,  whence  travellers  from  Orca  by  Valdea  Pass  and  Copper  River 
trail  reach  the  Yukon. 

The  Copper  River  Trail. 

Ocean  steamers  landing  at  Orca  station,  in  Prince  William  Sounds 
give  miners  the  chance  of  reaching  Copper  River,  by  a  30-mile  trail 
over  Valdes  Pass,  at  a  point  above  the  Miles  Glacier  and  the  other  dan- 
gerous stretches  near  the  mouth  of  that  stream.  Rich  placer  re|;5on» 
have  been  found  along  the  Tonsino  Creek,  which  empties  mto  Copper 
River  about  100  miles  from  the  sea.  The  route  up  th*^  Conner  River 
across  a  low  divide  to  the  Tanana  and  down  that  stream  wad  explored 
and  first  followed  by  Lieutenant  Allen,  U.  S.  A.,  in  1885. 

Cook  Inlet  Route. 

This  route  up  the  Sushitna  River  and  across  to  the  upper  Tanana  is 
said  to  be  feasible ,  and  is  suggested  as  the  certain  route  of  a  railway 
line  from  tide-^  .ter  to  the  middle  Yukon.  Only  a  few  independent 
miners  from  the  Cook  Inlet  camps  are  known  to  have  attempted  it. 

St.  Michaels  Route. 

Ocean  steamers  from  San  Francisco,  Portland,  Seattle,  and  Tacoma 
convey  passengers  to  St.  Michaels,  where  the  transfer  is  made  to  light- 
draught  stem-wheel  river  steamers,  which  are  able  to  ascend  the  Yukon 
from  May  to  October,  shoal  waters  and  early  freezing  sometimes  closing 
navigation  by  September.  A  survey  of  the  mouth  of  the  river  in  1898 
is  expected  to  make  known  some  channel  navigable  for  large  vessels, 
avoiding  the  delay  in  transshipment  at  St.  Michaels  and  the  danger  of 
navigation  by  flat-bottomed  river  boats  across  the  80  miles  of  rough 
and  open  water  between  St.  Michaels  and  the  river.  Navigation  is 
maiatained  during  the  open  season  from  St.  Michaels  to  the  foot  of 
'«Vuite-Hoi«e  Rapids  by  the  steamers  of  United  StatcF  and  Canadian 
companies.     The  estimated  distances  by  this  line  are — 

Victoria  to  St.  Michaele  (ocean) 2,800  miles. 

St.  MicliaelB  to  Dawson  City  (.river) l,ti,')0     " 

4^450     " 

From  36  to  40  days  are  occupied  by  this  journey  16  to  ^\j  days 
being  the  time  of  the  usual  river  trip  from  St.  Michaels  to  Dawson 
under  favourable  circumstances.  The  fares  from  Victoria  to  Dawson 
are  $300  first  class,  and  $260  second  class. 


BOOKS  OF  REFERENCE. 


The  following  I'.rit  contains  the  more  easily  accessible  books  con- 


cerning Alaska  and  the  Northwest  Coast ; 


Eakly  Voyages. 


Beechky,  F.  W.     Narrative  of  a  Voyage  in  II.  M.  S.  Blossom  in  the 
Years  1825-'28.     London,  1831. 

Belcher,  Sir  EnwAun.     Narrative  of  a  Vovage  in  H.  M.  S.  Sulphur 
during  the  Years  1836-'42.     London,  1843. 

Cook,  James.    The  Account  of  his  Third   and  La.st  Voyage  in  the 
Years  1776-'80.     By  James  King. 

Dixon,  George.     Voyage  around  the  World  in  1 785-88.      London, 
1789. 

LANGsnoRFF,  Geokoe  II.  VON.     Voyngos.     London,  1813, 

La  PicRousE,  Jean  Francois.     Voyage  around  the  World.     London, 

1798. 

Lisianski,  Imri  Feodorovich.     Voyage  around  the  World,  1803-'6. 
London,  1814. 

LuTKE,  Feodor  Tetro  ich.     Voyage  autour  du  Monde.     Paris,  1835. 

Marchand,  Etiexne.     Voyage  around  the  World.     Written  by  C.  P. 
Fleurien. 

Me  ARES,  John.     Voyages.     London,  1790. 

Poole.     Queen  Charlotte  Islands.     London,  1872. 

PoRTLOCK,  Nathaniel.     Voyage  around  the  World.     London,  1789. 

Simpson,  Sir  George.     Narrative  of   a   Journey  around  the  World, 

London,  1847. 

(Sir  (Jeorce  Simpson  wa*  Governor  of  the  Hiidnon  Bay  Company,  and  in 
1810- '43  visited  all  the  stntionM  of  hiw  company,  the  Spaiiiwh  colonieH  in  Cali- 
fornia, the  Kusflan  settlements  in  North  America,  and  returned  to  Europe 
by  way  of  Siljeria.) 

Vancouver,  George.     A  Voyage  of  Di-^'overy  to  the  North  Pacific 

Ocean  and  around  the  World,  performed  in  the  Years  1790-'y5. 

London,  1798. 

(Prof.  Dall  has  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  there  is  no  biography  of 
Vancouver.  The  date  of  his  birth  is  not  known.  He  was  midshipman  with 
Captain  Cook  on  his  third  and  last  voyage.  While  superintending  the  publi- 
cation of  his  voyages  in  London,  Vancouver  was  challenged  by  a  young  officer 
whom  he  had  disciplined  during  a  cruise.  Old  and  feeble,  he  was  unwilling 
and  unable  to  meet  him,  nor  did  he  think  the  exercise  of  naval  authority  war- 


BOOKS  OF  kp:ference. 


165 


ranted  a  duel  as  defence.  IHb  asHSilant  meeting  him  in  Bond  Street  after  the 
refuHal  to  flKht,  struck  Vancouver  in  the  face  and  publicly  insulted  him.  The 
old  officer,  humiliated  and  chagrined,  failed  rapidly,  and  died  May  10, 17iW, 
just  before  his  voyages  were  published.  He  is  buried  in  the  churchyard  at 
Ilam,  near  Richmond,  Surrey.  Dr.  Dall  has  found  reference  to  the  challenge 
to  the  duel  in  a  story  of  Charles  Keade,  "  What  has  become  of  Lord  Camel- 
ford's  Body  f  "—Harper's  Weekly,  May  0,  187C). 


Von  Staehlin,  J. 
don,  1774. 


Account  of  the  New  Northern  Archipelago.     Lon- 


(This  is  the  first  published  account  of  Bering's.  Tchirikow's,  and  other  Rus- 
siau  discoveries  on  the  coast  of  North  America.) 


Wilkes,  Charles,  U.  S.  N. 
dition,  1838-'42. 


Narrative  of  the  U.  S.  Exploring  Expe- 


Badlah,  Alexander.     The  Wonders  of  Alaska.     San  Francisco,  1889. 

Ballou,  Maturin  M.     The  New  El  Dorado.     Boston,  1888. 

Bancroet,  Hubert  Howe.  Works.  History  of  the  Northwest  Ccast, 
vols,  xxvii  and  xxviii.  History  of  Washington,  Idaho,  and  Montana, 
vol.  xxxj.  History  of  British  Columbia,  vol.  xxxii.  History  of  Alaska, 
vol.  xxxiii. 

Beardslee,  Lester  A.  Letters  in  Forest  and  Stream  in  1879,  signed 
"  Pi-seco."     Kcport  on  AfTairsi  in  Alaska,  Congressional  Document. 

Bell,  W.  H.  The  Stlckeen  River  and  its  Glaciers.  Scribucr's  Monthly, 
April,  1879. 

Briogs,  Horace.     Letters  from  Alaskii,     Buffalo. 

CoLLis,  Mrs.  Sepfima  M.  A  Woman's  Trip  to  Alaska.  New  York, 
1890. 

Dall,  William  H.  Alaska  and  its  Resources.  Boston,  1870.  The 
Coast  Pilot  of  Alaska,  1883.  Partial  List  of  Books,  Maps,  and  Charts 
relating  to  Alaska  and  the  Adjacent  Region.  (A  quarto  volume  of  210 
pages,  cataloguing  the  literature  of  the  region  down  .^  the  year  1882.) 

Davidson,  George.     Coast  Pilot  of  Alaska.     1869. 

Dawson,  George  M.  Monograph  on  the  Queen  Charlotte  Islands  in 
Annual  Report  of  Dominion  Geological  Survey. 

Elliott,  Henry  W.     Monograph  on  the  Seal  Islands.    Census  Report, 

1880.     Our  Arctic  Province. 
FiNCK,  Henry  T.    The  Pacific  Coast  Scenic  Tour. 

Glave,  E.  J.     Pioneer  Pack-IIorses  in  Alaska. 
September  and  October,  1892. 

Greenhow,  Robert.     The  Northwest  Coast. 

(Mr.  Greenhow  was  Librarian  of  the  Department  of  State  at  the  time  the 
Oregon  question  rose  to  prominence,  and  his  book  Is  almost  the  argument 
of  the  United  States  case,  containing  a  resume  of  all  the  early  history  of 
the  region.) 

Hallock,  Charles.     Our  New  Alaska,     New  York,  1886. 
HiNE,  C.  C.     Alaska  Illustrated.     Milwaukee,  1889. 


New  York,  1890. 
Century  Magazine, 


166 


BOOKS   OF    REFERENCE. 


(Contains  a  sketch  of  life  at  Sitka 
(A  brief  sketch  of  the  fii      mission 


Irving,  Washington.     Astoria, 
during  Baranof's  time.) 

Jackson,  Rev.  Sheldon.     Alaska, 
work.) 

Karr,  H.  W.  Skton.  The  Shores  and  Alps  of  Alaska.  London,  1887. 
Proceedings  of  Royal  Geographic  Society,  vol.  ix,  1887. 

Maynb,  R.  C.  Four  Years  in  IJritish  Columbia  and  Vancouver's  Is- 
land.    London,  1S(>2. 

Milton,  Chkadle.     The  Northwest  Passage  by  Land.     London,  1865. 

MriR,  John.  Picturesque  California,  Oregon,  Washington,  and  Alaska. 
J.  Deming.     New  York  and  San  Francisco. 

NiBLACK,  Albert  P  ,  U.  S.  N.  Tiie  Coast  Indians  of  Soutliern  Alaska 
and  Northern  British  Columbia.  Report  of  U.  S.  National  JIuseum 
1887-88. 

NiCHOLLS,  IIenrv  E.,  U.  S.  N.     v.  S.  Coast  Pilot  of  Alaska.     1892. 

Petroff,  Ivan.  Population  )<nd  Resources  of  Alaska.  (A  volume  of 
the  Eleventh  Census  Report,  1890.)  Internal  Commerce  of  the  United 
States.  (Published  by  Bureau  of  Statistics,  U.  S.  Treasury  Depart- 
ment.)    U.  S.  Census  Report,  188(»,  and  U.  S.  Census  Report,  1890. 

(Mr.  Petroff  gathered  n'.ateriuls  for  H.  II.  BancroftV  History  of  the  North- 
west Coast  and  Alaeku,  ami  wrote  u  part  of  the  History  of  Alaska  in  that 
series  down  to  the  yei'.r  18^1.) 

PiERPOiNT,  Edwaiu).    From  Fifth  Avenue  to  Alaska.    New  York,  1883. 

Ray,  R.  C,  U.  S.  N.  The  Coast  of  British  Columbia.  U.  S.  Hydro- 
graphic  Office,  1891. 

Reclus,  Elisee.     Geographic  Univcrselle,  Boreal  America,  vol.  xv. 

Rei-  Henry  Fielding.  Studies  of  Muir  Glacier.  National  Geo- 
graphic Magazine,  March,  1892. 

Rollins,  Alice  Wellington.     Palm  to  Glacier.     New  York,  1892. 

Russell,  Israel  C.  An  Expedition  to  Mt.  St.  Elias.  In  National 
Geographic  Magazine,  May,  1891,  and  Thirteenth  Report  of  Director 
of  U.S.  Geological  Survey.  (See  also  Century  Magazine,  April,  1891, 
and  June,  1892.) 

ScHWATKA,  Frederick.  Along  Alaska's  Great  River.  New  York, 
1886. 

SciDMORE,  Eliza  Ruiiamah.  Alaska :  Its  Southern  Coast  and  the  Sit- 
kan  Archipelago.  Boston,  1885.  Alaska,  in  Reports  of  Director  of 
the  Mint,  1883  and  1884.  Monograph.  Census  Report,  1890. 
Harper's  Weekly,  August  30,  1884,  March  28,  1886,  May  14  and 
July  23,  1892.  Century  Magazine,  July,  1891.  Wide  Awake, 
March,  1885.  Northwest  Magazine,  June,  1891.  New  York  Times, 
October,  1884.     St.  Louis  Globe-Democrat,  1883  and  1884. 

Sessions,  Francis  C.  From  Yellowstone  Park  to  Alaska.  New  York, 
1890. 


■^^1^ 


BOOKS   OF   REFERENCE. 


167 


Shephk!'",  Isabel.     The  Cruise  of  the  Rush.     San  Francisco. 
Sproat.     Scenes  and  Studies  of  Savage  Life.     London,  1868. 
Swan,  Jamks  G.     The  Northwest  Coast.    New  York,  1867, 
St.  John.     The  Sea  of  Mountains.     London,  1877. 
Victor,  Mrs.  Frances  Fuller. 

(Mrs.  Victor  awiHted  in  gathering  materials  for  II.  H.  Bancroft's  histories, 

and  wrote  the  volumes  pertaining  to  Oregon.) 

Warhman,  GEORfiE.     A  Trip  to  Alaslca.     Boston,  1884. 

Webb,  Seward.     Yellowstone  Park  and  Alaska.     New  York,  1890. 

Wellcome,  Henry.    Tiie  Story  of  Metlakahtla.     New  York,  1887.- 

Weli.s,  Ensipn  Rooer,  U.  S.  N.,  and  Joiix  W.  Kelly.  Englisli-Eskinao 
and  Eskimo-p]ngliHh  Vocalmlaries.  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education — Cir- 
cular of  Information  No.  2—1890. 

Whymi'er,  Frederick.  Travel  and  Adventure  in  the  Territor-  of 
Alaska.     London,  1868. 

WiNTHROP,  Theodore.     Canoe  and  Saddle. 

Wood,  C.  E.  S.  Among  the  Tlingits  in  Alaska.  Century  Magazine, 
July,  1882. 

Woodman,  Abhy  M.     Picturcsiiue  Alaska.     Boston,  1889. 

Wright,  G.  Frederick.  The  Ice  Age  in  North  America.  New  York, 
1888. 


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